


Keeping up appearances

by Tinne_Peeters



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M, Fake marriage just got real, Fluff and Smut, No Established relationship yet, Pretending To Be Married, Romance, Slow burn only ignites the flames, Takes place end of Season 2, Theft, URST, Undercover, Undercover as Married, nothing too graphic, season 2 divergence, someone got murdered, there's been another murder, with a shoe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:49:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23202745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinne_Peeters/pseuds/Tinne_Peeters
Summary: Phryne and Jack go undercover on a cruise ship as a married couple to investigate thefts. Of course things are never as straightforward as they seem, and soon they have a murder on their hands while stuck on the water.
Relationships: Phryne Fisher & Jack Robinson, Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson
Comments: 111
Kudos: 130





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATE: My wonderful beta Kate has beta’d my entire fic ♥️ 
> 
> Ok so I did a rewatch of Miss Fisher, because I really wanted to see the new movie but Europe wasn’t announced yet. And now with this whole corona mess it probably won’t be 💔
> 
> I forgot how much I loved ‘Dead air’. Jack undercover really is something. So it got me looking for other undercover fics. Since I’m particularly fond of this trope. I found some amazing ones! I adored [ By the light of a southern star](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16644194) by Fried_flamingo. I took her fic and stole her idea of Jack and Phryne on a cruise ship. It’s just too delicious not too.
> 
> This takes place like halfway season 2. So lots of unresolved tension! Enjoy 🧡

Phryne Fisher was sitting in her parlour when Mr Butler entered with a soft knock.

“Mrs. Martin here to see you, Miss.”  
As she glanced up to see who Mrs Martin was, Leila Esperance - no, Tarrant - walked in, followed by a very handsome man in a maroon suit.

“Leila! What a surprise. Please come in,” said Phryne, gesturing to the seat next to her.

“Miss Fisher, it’s lovely to see you again!” Leila said as she sat down. “This is my husband, Thomas Martin.”

“How do you do,” Phryne said as she shook his hand. “I heard from Bart you got married. Congratulations, to both of you.”

“I was very lucky to find a man like Thomas,” Leila said, looking at him with the same expression Dot used on Hugh. “Thomas is an actor too!”

Phryne nodded. She had heard of him because of Dot. Thomas had made quite a name for himself in Sydney. He was one of the most sought-after actors at the moment, his marriage to Leila only making him more popular, “The new power couple of the Operetta” the newspaper called them.

“We met on the production of Romeo & Juliet,” Thomas explained. “It was love at first sight.” He paused a moment before continuing. “Leila tells me you are a private lady detective.”

Phryne nodded, while handing him a card she always had on hand for cases like this.

“I’m afraid we require your help,” he said, taking it.

“Of course. Tell me everything.”

The three of them talked well into the next hour. Leila and Thomas had been enjoying a honeymoon cruise when Leila’s jewellery was stolen. At first it was just a feeling she had, as though she just had misplaced her earrings. But, when her necklace disappeared, she was certain. It was the last thing she had from her late mother, given to her by Bart on her wedding day. She only took it off when there was a special occasion and she had to dress up. As was required for the ‘All Night Ball’ once every 5 days on board.

They had tried to talk to the ship’s Captain, only to find him dismissing the claim. The two of them had made enquiries with other guests, to find the same thing had happened to them.

“Why had no one alerted the police? Surely they could have helped?”

Thomas nodded.

“We tried, but when we returned there was this note – It had been slipped into our cabin.”

_'Talk to the police again and jewellery will not be the only thing missing!’_

“Oh my, I understand. So you want me to join you and find your jewellery for you?”

“Yes. Especially my mother’s necklace. We can always replace the earrings but never my mother’s necklace,” Leila whispered sadly.

“There is only one problem. The cruise continues tomorrow and it’s for couples only,” Thomas continued carefully.

Phryne nodded, her mind working at top speed.  
“Not to worry, I have the perfect man in mind”.

* * *

——“No, absolutely not.”  
Phryne pouted. “But Jaa-ack, you don’t even know what I’m going to ask you.”  
“Nothing good whatsoever can follow after ‘I need a favour’.” Jack said, throwing his pen on his desk, next to where Phryne was sitting.  
Phryne crossed her legs and leaned forward, bringing herself firmly into his personal space.  
“Jack, I don’t have time to argue. I need a husband and you’ll just have to agree.”  
“Husband?!” Jack asked, his eyebrows shooting up.  
“Yes. I need to go undercover on a cruise ship and it’s for couples only.”  
“Ah.” He paused and leaned back, trying to create some distance. “And there was no one else available?”

“I have no idea Jack, I came straight here. You are my first choice.”  
Jack was having trouble concentrating, as usual she was sitting far to close.  
“And why do you need to go undercover?” he asked, trying to focus on the facts.  
“Thomas Martin and his wife Leila Martin - who is Bart Tarrant’s daughter: do you remember her? Well, anyway, they hired me this morning to recover her stolen jewellery. There is a thief on board and he or she is threatening them, to stop them from going to the police.”  
Jack nodded. Phryne wasn’t police, so it was actually a good idea for them to go to her.  
“And, let me guess, you want to go on this cruise, flaunt your jewellery and wait for it to get stolen so you can apprehend the thief?”

“Bingo, Jack!” Phryne said, while beaming down at him.  
“Well, Miss Fisher, it’s a good plan. Let me know how it works out, hmm?”  
“Jack, don’t be like that. I need you on this.”  
He really wished she wouldn’t say things like that. She was making it very hard not to cave in and go with her on this ridiculous cruise.  
“I have to work, I can’t just up and leave.”  
“Thomas Martin is related to the Commissioner. And I’m sure if I felt the need to tell him, he’d be happy to give him a call.”  
Jack gasped “You know I can have you arrested for blackmailing a police officer.”  
Phryne’s smile turned downright mischievous at this.  
“I’m not blackmailing anyone, Jack. I just made an observation.”  
Jack sighed. Ever since the whirlwind that was Miss Fisher came into his life, he felt as though he was always two steps behind.

Sensing his reluctance, Phryne played her last card.

“Jack, I know it’s sudden, and I do understand that you have a job. But I really need your help. I need someone I can trust, someone to watch my back.” She paused for effect, knowing that what she was about to say next would make the difference. “Please?”

Jack peered up at her. This was a first, she had never actually said ‘please’ before.

“Very well. I’ll accompany you on this cruise.”

She jumped off his desk and clapped her hands.

“Excellent Jack. I will arrange everything.”

With that she turned around and breezed out of his office. Jack sighed again, and pinched the bridge of his nose. She had known full well he wouldn’t be able to resist her in the end. As always, it was best not to overthink it too much, and just go along with it. He stood up and went to make arrangements of his own.

“Collins, I’ll be leaving for the next few days…”

* * *

Jack had just packed his suitcase when there was a knock on his door. His sister? Unlikely. Work? More likely. Miss Fisher? Probably. He opened his door to find the latter standing on his doorstep.

“Miss Fisher, what are you doing here?”

“I come bearing gifts” she said, holding up a large brown paper parcel tied with string. Jack opened his door to let her pass, wondering how the hell she knew where he lived. Phryne walked straight from the hall to his living room as if she’d been there a thousand times.

Phryne glanced around curiously. Jack’s little bungalow was exactly as she remembered - not that she would ever admit to being here before of course. It was cosy, yet effective, old fashioned and yet modern. She spied his suitcase on the ground and wasted no time in dropping next to it and opening it up.

“Miss Fisher, I don’t -“ He broke off mid-sentence as he saw her rummage in his suitcase.

“Just as I thought, Jack, you only packed dark grey three piece suits.”

“I fail to understand the meaning behind all of this,” he said, vaguely pointing to his now nearly empty suitcase. Phryne looked up and faltered for a second. His usually so composed look was seriously diminished. He was standing in his shirt and waistcoat, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his tie was nowhere to be seen. He hadn’t changed since he opened the door, of course, but Phryne had been too busy to fully take in the sight of him.

“We’ll be posing as a wealthy couple, so you need to dress the part too,” she went on, acting as though it was the most natural thing in the world. To be sitting on the ground, in his house, going through his things. Jack frowned.

“What’s wrong with the way I dress?”

“Nothing. I happen to like the way you dress. But for this trip we need to add something more.”

“Now Jack, open my present.”

With a sigh, Jack walked over to the brown paper package and began unwrapping it, simultaneously noticing how excited Phryne was. This couldn’t be good: he was about to open up something that was going to give him grief. As he lifted the lid on the cardboard box within, he nearly dropped it. In the box was a beautiful royal blue suit, of such high quality Jack would have never been able to afford.

“Miss Fisher, this is too much.” he finally managed, as he lifted the jacket out of the box.

“Nonsense, Jack. You need to look the part and I need to look at you while you do. It’s really a win-win situation.”

She walked over to where Jack stood, his face still registering shock at this gift. It had been rather expensive, but she wasn’t going to mention that. Besides, she had a lot more fun than she was willing to admit, searching for something just for him.

“I did have to guess at your measurements, so let’s hope it all fits.”

“Miss Fisher ..-“ Jack started but Phryne just continued.

“Ces and Bert will pick you up at 9 tomorrow morning. The cruise leaves at 10, so it gives us plenty of time.” she said as she walked into his hall, Jack walking behind her with the suit jacket still in his hands.

“Phryne.”

Jack hardly ever used her name and when he did use it, it was usually when he was deadly serious. She turned around and waited for him to continue.

“I don’t think I have ever received such a beautiful gift. I’ll make sure I take care of it so you can return it after the case.”

Phryne rolled her eyes.

“Really Jack, don’t be absurd. That’s yours now. Don’t forget to pack your navy blue suit. I rather like it. And a tuxedo. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, husband.”

With that she walked out of his door and back to her Hispano-Suiza.

Jack stood there, watching the door for longer than he should have. Shaking off his daze, he went back to his living room to check out the rest of the box. The suit was incredibly beautiful, and he wondered how Phryne had got hold of something this quickly. The suit was a two piece one, with a dark blue tie, and white silk shirt.

He placed the suit, shirt and tie in his suitcase and re-packed the rest of his suits, realising Phryne was right, he had only packed dark grey. Phryne might be a lot of things, but she was never wrong about fashion. So he did as any smart man would do, he went to his wardrobe and swapped one grey suit for the navy one Phryne liked, another grey one for a light grey with a pin stripe and added his black dinner jacket and bow tie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so a little disclaimer. I have never been on a cruise ship, so I have no earthly idea if this is how it works or how it would look. So allow me some artistic creativity. I did some research and went from there. 
> 
> My research was on the titanic, since it’s only a small 20 years later. So I went with that and made some upgrades that hopefully won’t be too inaccurate

Phryne looked up when the cab pulled up with Jack, Ces and Bert. She had been waiting at a safe distance to see if anyone was acting suspiciously, but so far no one had jumped out.

“Morning, Miss Fisher.” Jack said, as he walked over to her.

“Morning, Jack.”

Jack was wearing the navy suit she had suggested, along with his trademark hat and coat. Not exactly perfect for undercover work when his outfit screamed “Police”.

“Noticed anything suspicious yet?”

Phryne smiled to herself, of course Jack knew what she had been doing. He was a very good detective after all.

“No not yet, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

“We’ll keep an eye on the home front when you are away, Miss.” Ces said when Phryne and Jack got into the cab.

“Yeah, no worries.” Bert agreed. “You might want to do something about him, though.” He said, with a nod towards Jack.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Mr Johnson?” Jack responded gruffly.

“He just means you look like a copper and not a toff.” Ces intervened, giving Bert a look.

“I’m afraid they are correct, Jack.” Phryne said, looking him over.

“Just take off your coat.” Jack was about to protest when Phryne continued: “Jack, I know these crowds, they will never talk to us if they even think we are police.”

Jack sighed and took off his coat, feeling as though he had just been stripped of his armour, and handed it to her.

“That’s better. Less police and more ..”

“Toff?” Bert supplied. Jack rolled his eyes. Phryne was studying him and he was getting uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry Jack but I’m afraid this will have to go too.” she said, while while taking his hat off. “This will have to do.”

“Glad I have your approval, Miss Fisher.” Jack grumbled. Phryne grinned at his answer: by the look of him grinding his teeth, he was regretting his decision to come along.

“You know, we are married now, Jack, so I’m afraid you’ll have to stop calling me Miss Fisher. It’s Mrs Robinson now.” She paused to take off her glove and show her left hand. “And I love your taste in jewellery. It’s impeccable, darling.” 

“Ah, so it seems, _dear_.”

* * *

“If anything happens to my coat or hat, I will personally hold you accountable, Mr Yates.” Jack said, as Bert was loading their luggage onto a trolley. 

“Come along darling, look at this wonderful ship.” Phryne was calling behind him. He took a deep breath, and followed her along the pier. The ship was remarkable, entirely different to the one he had been on when he returned from the War. It was grand ,with beautiful decks filled with passengers already. Phryne had bought them first class tickets, and had to show them before they even put one foot onto the top deck. 

“Ah, Mr and Mrs Robinson. Welcome on board.” The valet said checking their tickets. “Please allow Ernest to escort you to your stateroom.”

Jack and Phryne followed Ernest as he pushed their luggage ahead of him, talking nonstop about how wonderful the ship was. When they arrived at their large cabin, Jack hadn’t expected to have this much luxury on a ship. It was a beautiful room with wood panelling, a thick carpet and large round portholes overlooking the ocean. A large bed was in the corner of the room, while two chairs with a table stood on the other side. He saw Phryne disappear into the walk in wardrobe with a delighted squeal. Ernest unloaded the trolley and waited by the door. Realising what he wanted, Jack tipped him some coins and watched him retreat to help other passengers. 

“Jack you must see this bathroom. It's absolutely marvellous.” Phryne called out. As it turned out she was right - it had floor to ceiling white tiles occasionally interspersed by a sparkling gold tile. There was also a porcelain bathtub with a shower above it, something Jack had never seen. It was rather smart, one could save a lot of space like this. Lastly, a large sink with gold taps, and a toilet behind a modesty screen. 

When Phryne turned to look at Jack he had his familiar half smile on his face, looking at everything. This was going to be fun, spending the next few days in close quarters with Jack. As though in silent agreement, they both turned and unpacked their luggage. 

“Do you think you brought enough dresses?” Jack asked, his voice taking on an amused tone. 

“Jack, you never know. Maybe we’ll just stay in our room and I won’t even have to wear one.” she replied,watching him closely. 

“As enticing as that sounds Mi… Phryne, we have a thief to find.” He answered. He glanced at the bed in the corner, and Phryne knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth. 

“I shall take the floor, it would hardly be appropriate to share the bed.”

Phryne rolled her eyes “Worry about that later, Jack. Right now, I want to see the ship because I think we’re about to leave.”

The ship vibrated, as if right on cue, as the engines were fired up. Through the portholes they could see the ship starting to move. Phryne dashed outside, her eyes full of childish joy Jack had not often witnessed. He followed her at a more demure pace, amused nonetheless. He locked the door behind him and took the first hallway to his right, stepping outside on deck where Phryne was looking over the rail. A lot of people had gathered on the deck to see the ship sail off again, and he leaned against the wall looking at Phryne waving at everyone. The ship was clearly for newlyweds and couples as she had mentioned, as everywhere Jack looked, most people had the same besotted look in their eyes Hugh had when he saw Miss Williams. 

His eyes scanned the passengers, looking for anyone who seemed as though they didn’t belong. It wasn’t long before he got some curious looks thrown at him. With a start, he realised he was the one who looked like he didn’t belong. He made himself move and stood behind Phryne, placing his hands next to hers on the railing. Her French perfume nearly overwhelmed his senses as he tried to keep a clear head, while still looking very much in love. 

Phryne wondered how Jack was going to handle pretending to be her husband - truth be told, she was looking forward to it. As he came to stand behind her, she could feel his proximity, and she had to suppress the urge to turn around into his arms. 

“Look, Jack, how far away we are already.”

“I have to admit I never thought I’d be back on a ship again so soon.” he murmured in her ear. 

“Does it bring back bad memories?” Phryne asked carefully. 

“The last time I was on a ship, I was on my way back to…” He paused. 

“Rosie?” Phryne said when he didn’t continue. 

“Rosie.” He agreed. “The War had been bad, but I was glad to go home and to be alive.”

Jack didn’t often talk about his time in the War with anyone, but with Phryne it was easier. She had been there too. She knew what horrors happened on the battlefield. She knew how it could change a man. 

“Does it bring bad memories for you?” 

Phryne didn’t reply right away, and Jack was worried he had somehow offended her. 

“I didn’t come home after the War - I went to Paris, London, every vibrant city I could find. And when I finally made it back it was only last August.” 

Jack laughed softly. 

“Trespassing all over my crime scene.”

Phryne grinned at the memory. 

“I merely had a look. I would hardly call it trespassing, Jack.”

* * *

For the next couple of hours, Phryne and Jack talked to people on board, while exploring the ship. There had been a number of thefts that had all resulted in the same threatening note. Most people who had been robbed, however annoyed they were, didn’t seem to mind too much: the downfall of having too much money, Jack assumed. 

When they finally arrived at the dining room, most people had finished already. Phryne had told Jack to wait this long quite deliberately. This way, they wouldn’t be overheard or be seen floundering around the ship. Lunch was an enormous buffet filled with things Jack had never seen before. Deciding to stick to things he knew, he had some cottage pie. When Phryne joined him at their table she had brought an extra plate. 

“Look darling, you missed your favourite sandwiches: ham, cheese and mustard pickle.”

The plate was filled with tiny triangles pieces of bread. He shot her a thankful look at this. 

“Phryne, Jack, how lovely to see you again.” a female voice said, when they had finished their meal. It was Mr and Mrs Martin. Their cover was to be old friends, so Jack and Phryne pretended to be surprised. 

“Leila, you look as beautiful as ever.” Jack said, kissing her hand, while Thomas did the same with Phryne. 

“Oh, how long has it been? Since we saw that lovely operetta in Sydney, hasn’t it, darling?” Phryne was saying, just loud enough to be overheard and not loud enough to be over the top. 

“I think so, yes.” Jack said, shaking Thomas’ hand. 

“Do sit down.” Phryne said, pointing at the empty chairs on the other side of the table. 

Lowering their voices considerably, Jack and Phryne told Leila and Thomas what they had found, which was, surprisingly, much less than they would have liked. 

“Can we see your cabin? I want to see the door.” Phryne said. 

“The door?” Thomas replied. 

Jack smiled to himself, to other people it must seem like an odd request. But he knew what Phryne was getting at.. 

“Yes, to see if the lock has been tampered with.” He explained. 

“Certainly.” Leila replied. “Dear, invite them over for a drink in our room. Make sure to be loud enough, but not too loud, though we seem to attract enough attention as it is.”

“Exactly what I was going to suggest. Good idea, Leila.” Phryne answered approvingly. 

Thomas was looking from his wife to Phryne, clearly awed. Jack grinned to himself, he was about to see a lot more to be impressed about. 

“Can we invite you for a drink in our cabin?” Thomas said, with exactly the right amount of volume. 

“We wouldn’t want to impose, would we, darling?” Phryne answered, placing her hand on Jack’s arm. She was sounding so sincere: if Jack hadn’t known any better, he’d say she was being honest. 

“No, you wouldn’t be imposing. I insist.” Thomas continued. 

“Maybe just the one?” Jack replied, avoiding Phryne’s gaze. For he was sure to trip up if he were to look at her, echoing the words he himself had said long ago. 

* * *

While Phryne and Jack’s stateroom was luxurious, it had nothing on the one Leila and Thomas had. It was twice their size and had a saloon with a fully stocked bar. A door to the side led to a private deck that was only accessible if you had a suite. 

Jack inspected the deck door, not expecting to find anything, while Phryne did the same for the other one. 

“Nothing, Jack. Everything looks as it should do.” she said, when she entered the room again. 

“Same for the deck door.” He replied, laughing at her disappointment. 

“Our thief is either really careful, or he has a key.”

Jack nodded, agreeing. 

“Or it’s someone who is allowed to enter that no one would suspect.”

“Can I offer you a glass, Jack?” Thomas said, holding up a decanter. “You, Phryne?” 

Both detectives agreed and soon the four of them were sitting in the saloon, sipping whisky and trying to work out how to find the next clue. 

“Jack, we have to see the cabin doors of the others who have been robbed.” Phryne said, after a while. 

“How do you propose we do that? I doubt anyone would fail to notice if we go inspecting doors in First Class.”

“Well, Jack, obviously we have to do it tonight.” Phryne answered, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Jack saw Thomas and Leila trying to hide their smiles at Phryne’s enthusiasm for her nocturnal explorations. 

In the end Jack had to - grudgingly - admit it was the only way to explore the ship without anyone seeing them. And since there was nothing more they could do for the time being, they spent the afternoon with Thomas and Leila. 

* * *

“Jack, you’ll have to help me after my bath, I’m afraid.” Phryne was saying, as they got back to their room. Jack just arched one eyebrow and said nothing. 

“Usually Dot helps me zip up my dresses but, since she’s not here, you’ll have to do it.”

“I’m sure I’ll manage.” Jack deadpanned dryly. Phryne grinned and went into the bathroom. Her dressing gown was on the hook already and she pulled it on after undressing. There were two taps for the bath. Cautiously, Phryne tried the far left one first and jumped backwards with a scream as ice cold water cascaded out of the shower head, soaking her hair and dressing gown in the process. 

Jack heard Phryne scream and all logic vanished from his mind. He almost ran towards the door and threw it open, ready to deal with whatever had made Phryne scream like that. 

“Phryne, are you alright?” he demanded, looking around the room. However, there was nothing that seemed to dictate such a loud reaction. 

Phryne brushed her soaked hair out of her eyes before speaking. 

“I’m fine, Jack, just had a minor disagreement with the shower, so it seems.”

It was only then that Jack seemed to notice the situation. He glanced round and saw her clothes on the sink and his eyes flicked back to her. 

“You are more than welcome to join me, of course.” Phryne offered. 

“I… Ah…” He cleared his throat. “Please carry on.” he managed, and got out of the room as fast as he could. Phryne stifled her giggles, watching Jack retreat. She turned her attention back to the task at hand and reached for the second tap. This time water started filling the tub. 

When she lowered herself in the tub, she realised it was salt water. The ship clearly did not have an abundance of fresh water, therefore if people wanted to take a bath it was sea water only. Making a mental note to take showers from now on, Phryne didn’t spend as much time in the bath as she usually would. 

Jack, in the meantime, was kicking himself the entire time Phryne was in the bathroom. He hadn’t thought: he’d just barged in. As though there had been a murderer or something, lurking in there. The image of Phryne’s lingerie on the sink was branded in his memory. This was going to be a long 5 days. 

When he had enough of his self-pity he got dressed in one of his finer suits, deciding to keep the new blue one for the day after. Today was not as formal as the next day. He glanced at the bed again, wondering what he was going to do. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to sleeping on the carpet. Or the chair for that matter. When he was younger, he hadn’t minded sleeping on the floor, now, however, the prospect was daunting. But what was the alternative? Sleeping next to Phryne. Sharing a bed with a woman for the first time since Rosie. He knew that Phryne shared her bed with other men frequently: he was no fool. 

By the time Phryne had done her hair and makeup the bath was still more than half full. Now she was no plumber, but this was absolutely not normal. 

“Jack, there’s something wrong with the bath.” Phryne said, as she emerged from the bathroom in a sparkly silver gown that he had to zip up, as promised. 

“The water isn’t draining as it should be.”

That was odd, a fancy ship like this and something as straightforward as a drain malfunctioning was making Jack uneasy. 

“Since this is my first time in First Class, I can’t be sure, but that seems unusual. Hmm?”

Phryne just rolled her eyes.

“Of course it is, Jack. Should we call a steward?”

“You seem to be forgetting that I am perfectly capable of looking at it myself.”

The look of surprise on her face only lasted a fraction before it turned into pride. 

“I knew there was a reason I keep you around.”

“Only for my plumbing skills, Miss Fisher?” He said, forgetting to use her given name. 

Phryne walked over and adjusted his tie - even though he was positive it hadn’t need adjustment.

“That, and so many more things, Jack.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you have as much fun reading this, as I had with writing it 😂

Dinner was served in one of the grand dining rooms on the upper deck, for First Class passengers only. The gigantic sweeping staircase that led to the upper deck was magnificent. It came into a spectacular room, with a high ceiling covered in frescoes, and columns were strategically placed so the room was one big open space. On the walls were frescoes as well, of landscapes from all around the world. In the centre of the room was a massive glass dome, with stained glass panels in all kinds of patterns. 

Both Jack and Phryne stopped to admire the room they had just stepped into. 

“It’s magnificent.” Phryne breathed, completely in awe. Jack could only nod in agreement. They followed the queue to the small entryway, where a waiter asked them for their stateroom number, then showing them to their table once she located Robinson in her book. The table they were seated at was round, with 6 chairs, 3 of them already occupied. 

“Ah, our new table partners.” A man with such pale hair it seemed translucent said, as Jack pulled Phryne’s chair back for her to sit down. “How lovely.”

The woman sitting next to him looked as though she was utterly bored, and only glanced at him when Jack offered his hand. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jack Robinson and this is my beautiful wife, Phryne.”

“I’m Reginald Harris.” the pale haired man said. “And this is Gladys, my wife.” The woman nodded in agreement and went back to looking bored. On the other side of Reginald sat a beautiful red haired woman, who could give Mac a run for her money. She smiled seductively at Jack, before offering him her hand over the empty chair between them for a kiss. 

“Irene Kelly, how do you do?”

“Good evening, Mrs Kelly.” Jack replied, kissing her hand like she wanted him too. “I’m very well. I hope you are too?”

“I am now, with such a handsome man at our table.”

Phryne was not a jealous woman, but this lady had some nerve. She was completely ignoring her, and the others at the table, and she was openly flirting with Jack. Phryne leaned, forward placing one hand on Jack’s leg, and the other on the side of his neck. 

“Oh I’m sorry, darling, I just noticed you’ve still got lipstick just here.” she said as she wiped the - imaginary - lipstick smudge away. Jack turned to look at her, only his eyes betraying the shock he felt. Or maybe it was because Phryne knew him so well, to the outside he seemed relaxed and at ease. 

“Thank you love.” Jack murmured his voice giving nothing away. 

_ What just happened?  _ Jack was trying to understand the sudden change in Phryne’s behaviour. The most obvious answer was jealousy, but that was preposterous, Phryne didn’t get jealous. And even if she did, none of this was real. He gave her a look to ask if she was alright. Which she returned by giving him a broad smile. He turned back to the rest of the table, smiling sheepishly. 

“Let me guess, newlyweds?” Reginald said after an awkward silence. 

“Is it that obvious?” Phryne laughed. And just like that, everything was normal again. 

After the first course, it seemed Phryne couldn’t handle her curiosity anymore and she turned to Irene. 

“I would love to meet the rest of our party, where have you hidden your man?”

Irene’s smile only faltered a little when she answered. 

“He is having drinks with the Captain. He’ll join us after dinner.”

“I do hope he hurries up, I miss having the old chap at dinner with us.” Reginald confessed. 

Jack’s interest was piqued: he couldn’t help it. He was a detective in heart and blood. 

“Oh, long time friends?”

Before Reginald could answer, Irene leaned forward, placing her hand in front of her, trying to look attractive. 

“Best of friends, for years. Aren’t we Regi?”

Reginald looked a little taken aback at this and nodded. 

“Only when it suits you.” A small voice accused, suddenly. Four pairs of eyes turned to Gladys: it was the first time she had spoken the entire evening. Irene just glared at her supposed best friend and didn’t reply. Jack and Phryne shared a look with each other. 

Jack had not sat through many dinners that were as boring as this one. He and Phryne tried to keep the conversation going, but it was strained nearly all the time. When the waiter placed a passionfruit flummery on his plate, both he and Phryne nearly sighed. 

Phryne could practically feel Jack’s relief when their table companions left soon after. 

“Good God, that was boring. Or was it just me?”

“Believe me, Jack, I suffered through a lot of luncheons with Aunt P and board members, and none of them were this dull.”

Phryne was glad it was over, too. And she had disliked Irene almost immediately. Not just because she had flirted with Jack, or because she wore way too much makeup, not even because Phryne adored the dress she had on. But simply because she seemed off to her, there was something about her that didn’t sit well with her. And Phryne never doubted her gut feeling. 

* * *

Phryne and Jack had lingered in the bar, sipping whisky, waiting for most of the passengers to go to bed. Or at least, to return to their cabins, before they grabbed a torch from their own room and sneaked through the corridors. The vast hallway was empty at this time of night, as Jack and Phryne crept through. 

Phryne inspected the lock, to find yet another one without any signs of tampering. She sighed and stood up, careful not to shine her light underneath the doors. As she reached Jack, he confirmed he had come to the same conclusion. 

“Nothing on this door either,” he whispered. 

“Same for the other ones,” she whispered back. They had one more room to check, it was on the other side of the ship. So they had saved it for last, as it was one of the suites so more likely to have a little more security. This was, however, not the case and they reached it without seeing anyone. 

“Dammit, nothing either.” 

“Let’s go back to the room and think about our next move.” Jack whispered. This passageway had the same layout as that where Leila and Thomas’s room was. So Phryne knew that at the end of it you would reach the sun lounge deck. 

“Maybe it’s easier to just go over the deck as to sneak through the hallways?” 

Jack agreed: it would be longer since the deck went all the way around the cabins, but most certainly easier. 

The sun lounge deck was thankfully empty as they crossed it to get to the other side of the ship. The suites had their own private decks overlooking it with a balcony. Underneath the balconies were built-in lounge chairs, big enough to lie or sleep on if you wanted to. Perfect if the sun was too hot but you still wanted to feel the sea breeze. 

“...not own me. I’ll never leave her for you!” A male voice yelled, just as Phryne and Jack had crossed the deck. The sound of a hand hitting flesh was unmistakable and Jack felt sorry for whoever was on the receiving end of it. A horrendous scream ripped through the air as Jack looked up to the balcony floor: above them there clearly was a fight going on. 

“Jack.” Phryne whispered. “We…” 

Phryne never got further because a body suddenly fell from the sky. Right before their feet a man fell, blood streaming from a massive neck wound, the murder weapon still embedded there. 

Jack sprang into action without thinking and pulled Phryne backwards to the wall, where they could not be seen from the balcony above, just as a shadow appeared. The movement of the shadow showed someone was clearly looking round for witnesses. Jack dared hardly breathe, counting the seconds until he heard the sound of footsteps retreating. 

Phryne had reached for her gun at the same time as Jack had reached for her. He pinned her against his body and pulled her into the dark shadows. Phryne pointed her gun downwards for the moment, ready to use it at any given second. 

“It’s all right, I think they’re leaving.” Jack said softly, still looking up, releasing her only a tiny bit. Phryne wasn’t looking at the ceiling, she was looking at the dead man lying a few feet away, staining the deck black in the moonlight. 

“We need …” He paused as he dropped his gaze to Phryne, still gripping the gun. “Where the hell did that come from?!” he whispered, far too loudly. 

“Shhh Jack! They might hear you.” Jack looked absolutely in shock. It had nothing to do with the dead body however, but everything with the golden gun in Phryne’s hand. 

“Do I even want to know where you hid that?” 

Phryne couldn’t help but grin. There was a dead body lying at their feet, the murderer was probably on his or her way down and he wanted to know where she had hidden her gun. 

“In my garter of course.” she whispered, as though they were talking about the weather. “Look at the murder weapon, Jack.” 

“It’s a shoe. That’s a first.”

Phryne stepped closer, careful to avoid the blood on the ground, only to have her arm yanked back. 

“We have to go.” Jack whispered urgently. 

“But Jack, the killer might still be around.”

“Precisely my point Miss Fisher. How are we going to explain our presence without blowing our cover?” He pointed out. “He was at our table, we’ll be under suspicion anyway, even without people knowing we saw the murder. Not to mention the next target.”

Phryne threw one last look at Reginald Harris before letting Jack lead her away from the crime scene. 

Jack was walking Phryne back to their room the long way round. And not a moment too soon, as the scream had woken up a lot of people,so they had to duck out of the way multiple times. Only when they were back in their room did Jack lower his guard. 

“Aren’t you happy you came along, Jack?” Phryne joked. Jack shot her a look at this and said nothing, lost in thought. 

“Are there police on board?” he asked after a while.

“There are probably security guards, and I’m sure many of the men who work in the engine room can double as one.” Phryne speculated. “And some of the other First Class passengers might have staff who fought in the War.”

“Right, we need to be extra careful now. They will keep an eye on anyone acting suspiciously.” 

Phryne could see the cogs turning in Jack’s head. He was already thinking about how the murder would affect the thefts they were looking into. Suddenly he looked up, worry on his face. 

“We have to get undressed, now.” He said with urgency as he began taking off his shoes. 

“Not that I’m complaining, far from it Jack, but why the hurry?”

“If it were me, I would be tracking down who dined with him. And that would lead to us. And we can’t be seen still in our evening wear in the middle of the night, Phryne.”

She could see the logic in that statement. It was what she would have done too. Without wasting any more time, she moved to Jack’s side, where he unzipped her dress without her having to ask. 

Phryne knew they had to be quick: they had wasted too much time to get back already. So, instead of folding her dress, she just threw her clothes on the ground, leaving a trail to the bed, until she was in her camiknickers. 

Jack was undressing at super speed, not thinking too deeply about it, until both of them were down to their undergarments. Phryne climbed into bed and opened her mouth to make an - undoubtedly inappropriate - comment, when there was a knock on the door. 

“Jack, strip to your drawers.” Phryne urged. 

“What?!” Jack hissed, shocked. 

“They will never believe we were sleeping, so let them make assumptions about what we were doing.” she whispered while sliding the straps down over her arms and wriggling underneath the sheets. 

If the situation hadn’t been this serious, Phryne would have laughed out loud seeing Jack’s face. His usually so stoic features were showing shock. Pure shock. She threw her camiknickers on the ground and messed up her hair. 

“Jack, mess up your hair and take off your damn singlet”,she snapped, when a second knock sounded. That seemed to get him moving: he pulled off his singlet while simultaneously messing up his hair and walking to the door. Phryne couldn’t help but notice how good his backside actually looked. Knowing she may never have a chance like this again, she feasted her eyes on his broad back. 

Jack took a deep breath to calm himself and opened the door, just a little bit. 

“Yes?”

“Mr and Mrs Robinson?” A security guard asked. 

“Yes, that’s us.”

“Can we come in?”

Jack had never been a good actor, but luckily he didn’t have to rely on acting alone. He didn’t want the security guard and his partner - who was most definitely one of the men who worked in the engine room, probably a stoker, as Phryne said - to come in. 

“Now is not really a good time.” he blurted out. 

The guard, who had been eyeing him, was downright suspicious now. 

“I’m afraid I insist.” he said as he pushed open the door. Jack could have easily stopped him, but he let himself get pushed back instead. 

“Jack, what’s going on?” Phryne asked as Jack and his two companions walked into the room. Phryne screamed just loud enough to make it sound as though she was aghast that someone was in their room. 

“What is the meaning of this?” she yelled as she pulled the covers up to her chin, making the reaction nice and slow so the guards could see her very naked shoulders. 

“That’s what I would like to know too.” Jack said, following Phryne’s lead. 

The actual security guard had at least the decency to look ashamed. 

“I’m afraid there has been a murder, and you were the last ones to see him alive.” he announced. 

“Oh my God, Officer, that’s terrible. Whoever do you mean?” 

“Reginald Harris, I believe, was his name.” He said. “He was murdered just this evening.” Jack and Phryne both made sounds of surprise at this, Phryne even clapping a hand over her mouth. 

“Did you see anything?” The engine stoker said, giving Phryne a look that lasted a bit too long. 

“No, after dinner we had drinks in the bar and then came straight here. We have been, ah… rather busy.”

Jack had to admit, Phryne’s plan was actually working. The men looked from Phryne to Jack and then gave the room a once over. Jack hadn’t even realised that, in their haste to get their clothes off they had created the perfect setup. And Phryne deserved a bloody award.

“No worries ma’am, if you two don’t mind we’d like to talk to you in the morning.” 

Phryne and Jack both agreed and Jack showed them out. Phryne fell back in the bed and released a breath. 

“We were lucky. I don’t think we can fool them again like this.” Jack muttered, as he stood at the end of the bed. “And how did you make that bed look so …” he paused looking for the right word. “Slept in?” He settled on. 

“Practice Jack. Just rolled around in it, rumpling it up. Now, can you pass me my robe?”

Jack grabbed his singlet, pulling it on as he walked to the bathroom. He returned with the robe, handing it to her and turned away. Phryne smiled fondly at him doing so. Ever the gentleman. 

As Phryne disappeared to the bathroom, Jack changed into his pajamas. He stood before the bed, thinking about what to do before deciding the day had been long enough, and with a murderer on the loose they had to keep their wits about them. He got into bed under the covers. He was no use to Phryne if he was too tired to think. Phryne climbed into bed next to him without saying a word. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this fic I had my plot more or less figured out. Or at least the victims and perpetrators. Now as I was writing this chapter, two characters showed up that I initially wasn’t planning on using. But I found it worked so well, I’m going with it. As with most things in my life I’m making them up as I go 😂 
> 
> So because of this, this fic is now later as I thought it would be, and is happening between Framed for murder (2x09) and Dead air (2x11).

Jack would have never thought he would sleep so well, or so late for that matter. It had been years since he had: even with the late nights owing to his work he was always, always one of the first to arrive. He peered at his watch, it was a quarter past nine in the morning. He hadn’t woken up once during the night, even though it had been a while since he shared a bed with someone. 

Phryne was still asleep, lying on her stomach, her arms spread out and a soft smile on her face. She looked younger like this, for some reason. He found himself looking at her in wonder, wanting to stroke her hair out of her face. 

Resisting that urge, he carefully got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. After he did his business he turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up. The bath had completely drained from last night but soon it started filling up again. There was definitely something blocking the water from draining. He turned off the water and dropped on his hands and knees, he had some experience with a clogged drain. 

His kitchen sink had been blocked too and Jack had learned quite a lot when fixing it. He opened up the drain to have a look: he hadn’t expected to find the problem so soon, but there was clearly something stuffed in the pipe. His fingertips just brushed the thing that was down there, just out of reach. Jack always brought an extra shaving razor, and, getting it out of his bag, he carefully used it to lift out what was in the drain. It was a piece of cloth. Rolled into a ball and stuffed down there, so it would take a really long time for the bath to empty out. Jack stared at it in wonder. Without the cloth the drain worked just fine. 

Phryne lazily stretched her limbs and wondered for a second where she was. Ah, right, the case, the murder, Jack sleeping next to her. She could hear the shower running, so Jack hadn’t bolted. That was a good sign. The swaying of the ship was amazing for one’s sleep. Phryne wondered when the last time was that she had slept this well. She had woken up in the middle of the night to find that she was being the little spoon to her detective, with Jack’s breath in her ear and his hand over her waist.

It was a rather new sensation. Phryne liked freedom in bed, both in space and in every other aspect, so she would hardly ever let a man spend the night. And yet with Jack, she hadn’t minded. She had no idea how to name the feelings that fluttered through her in that moment. She raised her head as Jack opened the bathroom door and steam came out. When the man himself didn’t follow she got curious. 

Jack had nearly finished shaving when Phryne appeared behind him, not saying a word. She started rummaging in her toiletry bag, taking out her toothbrush. She moved around him, grabbing a towel, only to place herself back on his other side to start brushing her teeth. Jack couldn’t help himself as their eyes met in the mirror, it was so utterly domestic. A laugh escaped him. Phryne’s own smirk turned big and soon both of them stood there, laughing. 

Phryne had to admit, she did not expect this. The bathroom smelled them of both: Jack and his pomade and cologne standing on the side of the vanity, next to Phryne’s own French perfume and various beauty products. Jack shook his head, amused, and resumed shaving. Phryne did her makeup as Jack was doing his hair, standing side by side. 

Jack leaned into the vanity cupboard, picked up the cloth and placed it on top. 

“Look what was blocking the drain.”

Phryne looked at it surprised. 

“ _In_ the drain?”

“Yes, I managed to get it out.”

Phryne picked it up and turned it over in her hands. 

“This is something a handyman would use, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes it is. It got me thinking.” Jack said. “There is no sign of a break in, and no one saw anything suspicious. Maybe that’s because…”

“A handyman entering rooms isn’t suspicious at all.” Phryne finished his sentence. 

“Exactly!”

“Well done, Jack. Now put it back while I get changed. We’ve got a handyman to catch.”

Once Phryne was dressed in a simple day dress, she called their steward to tell them about the bathroom problem. They promised to send someone over before lunch. Jack appeared just as she hung up the phone. He was still dressed in only his trousers and shirt and Phryne found it incredibly alluring. 

* * *

The interrogation after breakfast was incredibly dull. The security guard was asking all the wrong questions, and Phryne had to bite her tongue several times. They didn’t even separate Phryne and Jack during the procedure . 

“Jack, if we don’t help the killer is going to walk free.” she complained as soon as they left. “They are complete imbeciles!”

“Yes, but so far they trust us enough to unknowingly help us along. So, I’ll go to the smoking room to see if I can loosen some tongues.” Jack said. “And you need to go to the beauty salon and see if Mrs Harris is there.”

“Brilliant idea, Jack. And we'll meet back here for lunch.” She stood up and pecked Jack on his cheek. “Have fun, darling.”

* * *

As Jack walked into the dining room, Phryne was sitting next to Leila. 

“Phryne, Leila.” He said, giving them a nod. “I hope you are well?”

“Jack, everything is dandy. Now tell me, what did you find out?” Jack rolled his eyes, patience was definitely not Miss Fisher’s strong suit. 

“Well, there was some talk that Mr Harris and Mr Kelly are not as good friends as they seem.” He began. “Apparently, they had a big fight and that’s why Mr Kelly has been dining with the Captain.”

Phryne nodded. “That fits with what I heard. There was some talk that Mr Kelly can be… rough. And Reginald tried talking to him. So, according to the rumours, supposedly he killed Reginald.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “That makes no sense, why would John Kelly murder Reginald Harris with a woman’s shoe?”

“Well, here’s where it gets interesting, Jack. When the security staff found the body, there was no stiletto sticking from his neck. The killer must have removed it right after we left.” 

“Are you two always like this?” Leila asked before Jack could reply. 

“Like what?” Phryne asked curious 

Leila just shook her head and smiled. “Nothing, please continue detecting.”

“All right, so how do they think Reginald was murdered?” Jack continued, when Leila said nothing further. 

“They don’t know. It seems that only you, Leila and I know about the shoe.”

“And the murderer.” Leila piped up. 

“And the murderer.” Phryne agreed. 

“We know Reginald was having an affair, one he tried to break off, and got murdered for it. So, the most likely suspect is his mistress. Who is not a suspect at all because no one knows about the shoe.” Jack reasoned. “And we can’t come forward, because we can’t explain why we were there in the middle of the night, without tipping our thief off.”

“So the plan is simple.” Phryne said. 

“It is?” Jack and Leila answered. 

“Yes, we just have to catch our thief really fast!”

* * *

A man was waiting by their cabin when they returned. “I’m ‘ere for ya drain.” he said. “Wonderful! look, darling, how fast they send someone over.” Phryne cooed as they entered. “The bathtub takes a-ages to drain.” Phryne continued, acting like a spoiled brat. “Please tell me you’ll be able to fix it. Mr...?” 

“Harold Smith.” He grunted out. “Well, Mr Smith, I’d be most grateful.” Phryne said, batting her eyelashes. Jack managed to hide his smile as she did so. Phryne had definitely missed an opportunity in acting. He pretended not to notice how Harold was looking at her jewels that she had just scattered around the room. Which, he had to agree, had been a smart move. Jack walked over to one of the chairs and sank down, opening a newspaper. It gave him a good excuse to keep an eye on Harold while pretending to read. He wasn’t expecting him to do anything but you never knew. 

Phryne was laying the ‘I’m-dumb-and-rich’ act on very thick, and by the looks he gave her it was definitely working. Phryne darted in and out of the bathroom, giving Harold enough opportunity to remove the cloth. When she re-entered he was just packing up. 

“Fixed it, for ya I did, missus Robinson.” He said. 

“Perfect, Harold. Just in time for the Games this afternoon.”

Phryne definitely had Harold’s interest now. 

“You reckon you’ll enter?” He asked. “I ‘eard it’s fun, they are.”

“You think I’d have a chance of winning?”

“Definitely.” He said. “‘Ave a good day, Madam.”

* * *

“Jack, how long have we been sitting here?” Phryne complained. 

“One hour and 37 minutes.” Jack said, looking at his watch. “Do I need to remind you, this was your idea?” 

Phryne sighed, it had been a rather brilliant idea. Harold thought Phryne and Jack were at the upper deck competing in the Games, but they had hidden themselves in the bathroom and were waiting for him to break into the room so they could catch him in the act. 

Jack glanced at Phryne, looking through the gap in the door. He was betting she was already regretting the suggestion to wait in the bathroom. Sitting on the floor and playing cards only stayed fun for a limited amount of time, and it seemed for Phryne, that time was up. She stood up and began pacing. 

“Phryne, sit down, you’re making me nervous.”

“What if he won’t come? And we’ll never find Leila’s necklace?”

Jack stood up and placed his hands on her arms and looked into her eyes. 

“We will.”

As Phryne stared back at Jack, she noticed how beautiful his eyes were. They were looking at her intently, he really believed what he was saying. Her heart skipped a beat as she opened her mouth - to say something stupid no doubt - when there came the unmistakable sound of a key in the door. 

“Get ready.” Jack whispered, as Phryne raised her gun. 

They waited until he had closed the door before opening the bathroom door. 

“Looking for something, Mr Smith?”

Harold Smith was not expecting company, especially not the armed kind. 

“Bloody hell.” Harold cursed as he raised his hands. 

“Pretty lucrative business, isn’t it Harold. Breaking into first class cabins, stealing jewellery?” Phryne said. 

“Don’t know nothin’ ‘bout that.” Harold snarled. 

“Oh I think you do.” Jack answered. “I think you sabotage the drain to case the place before you break in.”

“You are now going to tell me where you stashed Leila Martin’s necklace. Or my husband here is going to throw you overboard.”

Jack was lucky Harold was looking at Phryne, because this was not the direction he thought the interrogation would be going, when Harold did look at him. Jack tried his best to look as menacing as he could. Apparently it worked, because Harold visually swallowed. 

“I don’t have it anymore.”

Phryne cocked her gun and pointed it at his head. 

“I swear on me nan’s life!” Harold yelled. “I’m workin’ off a debt, so I don’t ‘ave it anymore.”

“What kind of debt?” Jack asked. 

“Gamblin, poker down below in the ship.”

Phryne glanced at Jack, he was clearly surprised too. 

“I might be in the mood for a game of cards, lead the way.”

Harold shifted uncomfortably. “‘Fraid that’s impossible. It’s only on the All Night Ball evening.”

“Jack that’s tomorrow!”

“Can you get us in?” Jack asked. 

“No. I ain’t wantin’ to die.”

“Well if they won’t kill you, we will. And nobody will miss you.” Phryne whispered. Harold swallowed but didn’t give in. 

“I think he needs some persuasion, darling.”

Jack had no idea what to do. Making the man think he was going to torture him and actually doing it were two different things. 

“You see Harold, have you ever heard of the Terrible Ten?” When Harold shook his head, Phryne continued. “Well, my husband is pretty high up. So you might want to think twice about who you want to offend.”

Jack leaned against the wall, trying his hardest to look like a hitman. 

“Alright, I’ll ‘elp. Meet me at the staff room at midnight.”

“I think that went well.” Phryne said, once Harold had left. By the look Jack shot her he disagreed, but said nothing. 

“So we have to sneak out tomorrow during the ball.”

“Can’t be that difficult.” Jack said. “Can it?”

“You’d be surprised, Jack.”

Phryne went to the wardrobe and returned with the blue suit. 

“I think it’s time to see how this looks!”

* * *

“I still don’t understand how you guessed my measurements this exactly.” Jack wondered out loud as they were making their way to the dining room on the upper deck. 

“One of my many talents, Jack.” Phryne answered. 

“Phryne, Jack. Over here.” Leila called them from the bar as they walked in. She was standing next to Thomas, Irene Kelly and what must be her husband John; a third man turned around as they reached them. 

“Captain King, this is Mr and Mrs Robinson. Old friends of ours.” Thomas said. The Captain looked like he had escaped from a cartoon, brushy moustache included. 

“Ah, nice to have you on board.” He said shaking Jack’s hand and kissing Phryne’s. 

“The pleasure is all ours, isn’t it, love?” said Jack. 

“Oh yes. I’ve always wanted to meet a Captain.” Phryne confirmed. Jack didn’t like how Captain King was staring at Phryne one bit, so he pulled her a little closer as the small talk continued. 

Judging by Jack’s hand on her waist, he was as wary of their company as she was. Phryne appreciated Jack by her side, and she made sure to keep touching him here and there as they waited for the waiter to lead them towards their table. Phryne noticed him staring at her intently, when he thought she wasn’t looking. 

“Captain? Your table is ready.”

“Ah thank you, lad. Ladies, if you would follow me?” he said, offering his arm to Phryne. Reluctantly she stepped away from Jack and linked her arm with his, following him to a table in the centre of the dining room. 

Jack threw a look at Thomas and saw his own anxiety mirrored in his eyes. He knew that Phryne could take care of herself, he wasn’t doubting that for a second. He was more scared of how far she was willing to go to maintain their cover. Thomas gave him a pointed look, Jack prayed he had understood correctly and took a few long strides until he was standing behind Phryne at the table. 

“Allow me, love.” he said as he placed his hand on Phryne’s lower back and guided her to a chair next to Leila, whom he’d deliberately placed between Thomas and himself. Phryne was secretly liking this protective Jack: it was only consolidating the image that they were deeply in love. A very tempting idea popped in her head as she gazed at Jack with the most besotted look she could muster, once he was seated next to her. Behind her she could hear the Captain. 

“Ah, our final guests, glad you could make it.”

Phryne leaned into Jack. 

“Thank you darling.” She said very clearly. “You know Jack, I find you very irresistible in this new suit.” She continued, dropping her voice as if it was only meant for Jack’s ears, while in fact it was still loud enough for the entire table to hear. “I can’t wait to rip it off tonight.” 

There was pretending and there was seducing, Jack wasn’t entirely sure in what category Phryne was in at the moment, but he found he didn’t really care. He swallowed, trying really hard to come up with a good answer that wouldn’t make him sound like a blushing bride. Before he could take a second breath, Phryne kissed him. His brain short-circuited for a second before kicking back into second gear. It was over before he even had time to register he was kissing Phryne again. She leant back and ran her finger over his mouth. 

“Oops.” She managed, not sounding as though she regretted her action at all. 

“Jack?!” A voice said, behind Thomas. Jack looked up, startled, wondering who on earth would know him on this ship. The two familiar faces staring back at him in shock were enough to make him forget they had a cover to maintain. 

“Rosie? What are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just saw Crypt of tears and OW MY LORD. That was utterly brilliant. Had some flaws as well, but just minor ones compared to the whole picture. And the banter, oh my god. I was squealing like a little schoolgirl at times 🥰


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay for this chapter. I’m still working, so I can only write in the evening. And with Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears on acorn I have spend my evenings watching it! As did most of you probably!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://tinyminy88.tumblr.com/) if you want to yell at me about it ♥️
> 
> This chapter gave me so many troubles! I re-wrote the dinner several times... I’m still not overly happy with how it turned out but ok. 
> 
> I used things from Blood at the Wheel in this chapter, so this fic definitely takes place after that. I know I said this before but I thought it was a good idea to mention it again 😂 
> 
> Another thing, in Raisins and Almonds Jack says, his wife has been living with her sister for some time now. Now “some time” can mean a lot of things. We know Coceaine Blues(1x1) was somewhere near the end of July, and Raisins and Almonds (1x5) was early September. Does 4 weeks fall under some time? More, less? Let’s say for the sake of this fic Rosie moved out just before or after Murder on the Ballarat Train (1x2).

“Rosie? What are you doing here?”

Phryne knew she had to take control of the situation. And fast. “Rosie, darling, how marvellous to see you.” she said, while walking over and wrapping her arms around Rosie for a hug. “We’re undercover, just play along.” she whispered in Rosie’s ear.

“Mi…” Rosie stammered and stopped when she saw Phryne’s pointed look. “Phryne, it’s been too long.” She finally managed. Sidney was looking from one woman to another, before settling on Rosie.

“I had no idea you booked a passage on this ship, too. What a lovely coincidence.” Phryne continued, keeping her tone light.

“It certainly is… unexpected.” Sidney concluded.

“I’m surprised my father didn’t inform me you’d be on this ship.” Rosie said.

Jack was still staring dumbfounded at Rosie and Sidney. He could hear the question in her statement, ‘did George Sanderson know about this?’. Phryne had picked up on the nuance too.

“Oh, love, it’s been ages since we last visited George, I don’t think he knows we even contemplated taking this cruise.” Sidney acknowledged. 

“It was a last minute decision.” Jack finally said, getting out of his chair to shake Sidney’s hand and give Rosie an awkward hug.

“Jack’s quite right, it was all my idea.” Phryne agreed. There was a lot being said in subtext, but from the look in Rosie’s eye, she seemed to understand.

“Everyone seems to be old friends at the table.” the Captain said, when everyone was in their seats again, suspicion clearly marking his tone.

“How do you know each other?” He asked, looking from Phryne and Jack to Rosie and Sidney.

“Oh we know each other from the Gratitude Board, don’t we Sidney?” Phryne answered, before anyone else could. “My aunt’s a member too.”

“That’s right.” Sidney confirmed after a beat.

“Phryne and my father are old friends too.” Leila chimed in. “She even introduced me to him.”

“How can someone introduce you to your father?” Irene questioned.

“Because my mother died when I was a child and she never told my father he had a daughter.”

* * *

Jack had not expected to have terrible dinners two nights in a row, and yet here he was. This was a particular minefield he was not enjoying. Having dinner with the obnoxious Captain was bad enough, dealing with Irene and John Kelly sitting next to him was even worse. Add your ex wife - who, thankfully, didn’t announce that tidbit- to the mix and Jack didn’t know which way was up anymore.

The only thing keeping him sane at the moment was, funnily enough, the woman who had thrown his world into disarray in the first place. Phryne was a natural and had managed to keep the conversation away from touchy subjects for most of the night. Jack only had to ‘ah’ and ‘hmm’ while Phryne did all the work. Her hand on his leg was the anchor he needed at the moment.

Phryne had been in the middle of a story about her cousin Guy, French champagne and Aunt Prudence finding out when Jack took her hand off his leg. She immediately tried to withdraw it, thinking she was pushing him a bit too far. But he held it firmly and laced his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his mouth, placing a kiss on her knuckles. She knew Jack well enough to know it was a silent apology, so she gave his hand a squeeze.

“How did the two of you meet?” Irene suddenly asked. Phryne panicked for a second, ‘we met in a bathroom at a crime scene’ seemed the wrong way to go.

“I found her in nothing but a towel, in a Turkish Bath Palace.” Jack replied. “She was trapped with a naked man in a steam room.” Rosie nearly choked on her champagne, Leila and Thomas disguised their laughter as a cough and the others looked intrigued.

“Darling, you’re telling it all wrong. You forgot to add Sasha is a dancer.” Phryne pouted. Jack just rolled his eyes.

“How come were you trapped inside a steam room?” Leila laughed.

“The handle broke, so it took some time before someone found us.”

“Thankfully I did, just in time before the room went up in flames. Phryne had tampered with the steam valve.”

“Well Jack, it was quite steamy, you know.”

“I remember.” Jack said dryly.

“ _That’s_ what you remember?” She shot back.

“I remember this.” Sidney said. Making everyone look at him. “That fire was attended by nearly every fire truck in the metropolitan area was it not?”

“Yes, I believe it was.” Jack confirmed, glad to be on safer subjects again. He saw Phryne give Leila a nudge under the table.

“How did you two meet, Mrs Kelly?” She asked.

How Phryne could find all these amazing women and, with a few words make them feel more powerful, he had no idea. She was a force of nature.

“Oh it’s not as exciting as a Turkish bath house I’m afraid.” Irene answered.

For the next half hour, Irene dominated the conversation with the Captain. It was once again boring, but at least it wasn’t going to expose them. Rosie had been giving Jack glances all evening. He could only imagine what was going through her head. He knew for a fact she knew about the fire in the bordello, they had talked about it. Jack had however not told her about Phryne, or the fact she had been practically naked when he found her.

To his left, Leila was in deep conversation with Rosie about relationships. Phryne was only half listening, doing much like he did earlier and just nodding her way through it. Jack wasn’t really paying attention because the Captain was talking about Reginald. He did, however, as did everyone at their table when Irene asked Phryne a loaded question. Jack had learned long ago, even without focusing on it, that he had the ability to process background noises or conversations. It made him exceptionally good at his job. The ‘What was the moment you knew you loved Jack?’ the question drew everyone’s focus onto Phryne.

“I don’t really think I had one particular moment.” Phryne answered, after a few seconds. “It was more of a series of actions that made me realise I was not alone. That even without looking, I knew Jack would be there.” Phryne glanced at Jack, who was listening with far too much interest: well, she was in for a penny, might as well go in for a pound.

“You see, my sister was murdered when we were children, and last December we finally found her body.” She continued, ignoring the startled gasps. “When the police found her body... I… Grief overtook me. I grasped behind me, reaching for anything. And Jack caught me.” She paused for a second, thinking back to that day. Jack knew she was breaking and he had helped her, through everything.

“Jack saved me that day, in more ways as one.”

Jack had no idea his actions had impacted her this much. He knew she was hurting and had tried to help her, he had been scared out of his mind when he heard the gunshot, thinking Foyle had killed her.

“So Jack, what about you?” Irene asked again. She was definitely too curious for her own good.

“Ah, not sure that is a story worth telling.” He deflected. Hoping that would be the end of it. He should have known better, of course.

“Nonsense, I’m rather curious myself.” The Captain said. Jack sighed, as before, he knew, it was better to just say the truth. Or as much of the truth as he could.

“There was a motor car accident, and I thought it was Phryne. Let’s just say I realised a lot in that time.” he answered, trying not to think about how he felt in those moments, until he found out it wasn’t her.

There was an awkward silence in which Jack ignored everyone and focused on his drink. Phryne knew that Jack had struggled with the thought that she had died, she had been surprised with how upset he had been. Jack hated lying and he did so as little as possible, and if he did he used the same principle she did. Bend the truth. Was he bending the truth or flat out lying? And an even better question was, was she?

“Dammit Irene!” The expletive came loudly, out of the blue, and everyone turned to Irene and John as they stared at each other.

Irene had accidentally knocked over her drink, resulting in it spilling over the table. Phryne didn’t see the cause of trouble at all, it was just a glass of champagne.

“Let’s go. I think you had enough.” John snapped at Irene and pulled her out of the chair.

“Good night to you all.” he said, as he practically dragged her out of the room. The Captain tried to get everyone talking again, but it never really worked.

* * *

As soon as the Captain took his leave, so did everyone else.

“Jack, let’s get a bottle of whisky and go to our room, I have had enough of people for one day.” Phryne suggested.

“No disagreement from me.” Jack said as they walked over to the bar. Phryne handed him two glasses as she signed for the bottle of whisky. She linked an arm through his as they walked to their stateroom, holding the bottle in her free hand. Both of them were silent the whole way.

Phryne kicked off her shoes the moment she entered their room, sinking down into one of the comfortable chairs. Jack did the same with his own shoes, as well as his suit jacket. Autumn had never lasted as long as it did now, it seemed, as the weather was still warm. He placed their two glasses on the table and poured them a generous glass each.

“Well, Miss Fisher, I’m never underestimating your social circles again. It is absolutely exhausting.” he said as he took the second seat, sitting more relaxed than he had ever dared to be around Phryne.

“It’s not always like this, Jack. We just happen to have picked the worst companions we possibly could have this evening.” She paused. “Rosie and Sidney notwithstanding, of course.” Jack nodded.

“Thank you for helping me by the way. I’m afraid I froze up.”

“Not a problem, Jack. You redeemed yourself nicely with the story how we first met.”

Jack couldn’t help himself and laughed out loud.

“I think I shocked a few people with that story.” He said, in between laughs.

“That was the most fun part of the evening. I think dear Irene was not expecting that answer at all.”

“Nor did Rosie.”

“No, she seemed surprised that was the first time we met.” Phryne said, choosing her words carefully.

“We hardly ever talked at that point, unless it was about work. So I didn’t see the need to inform her about you.” Jack said, emptying his glas in one gulp. “Especially not the naked part.” He added after a pause. “She moved in with her sister a week after.” Phryne just stared at him without saying anything, so Jack said the first thing that came to mind.

“Did you mean it?”

“Did I mean what, Jack?”

There was no going back now, he was already regretting that whisky. It was making him ask questions that maybe he didn’t want an answer to.

“Everything, anything?”

Phryne knew what he meant, she knew before he clarified. Well sort of clarified.

“Jack I…”

They both turned to the door as someone knocked again.

“Jack? Phryne?” The voice of Rosie came through the door. Jack sighed and stood up, maybe it was for the best. Sometimes things are better left unsaid. He walked to the door and opened it to find not only Rosie, but Sidney, Thomas and Leila too.

“What’s going on?” He asked, perplexed at all the people at his door.

“Jack, may we come in?” Rosie asked. Jack nodded and opened the door fully so everyone could enter.

“Are we having a meeting that I have forgotten?” Phryne said her tone full of amusement.

Jack didn’t miss Rosie’s eyes flicking around the room. He tried to see what she saw, and realised you could clearly see it was actually being lived in, and not just used as a cover. From his own book of Shakespeare on the nightstand, to his day clothes hanging over the chair. Phryne’s things were scattered over the room as well, blending in with his own things.

“John Kelly has been murdered.” Thomas finally announced.

“How do you know?” Phryne questioned

“Their room is next to ours.” Leila said. “After dinner we heard them fighting and then a gunshot. I ran out to come and get you.”

“She nearly ran Rosie over in the hallway.” Sidney added.

“I knew Bart Tarrant by name, I know he’s a friend of yours, Phryne. And I know Leila is his daughter, so if you add those two together, the undercover case was most likely for them.” Rosie said. “So I decided to take a chance and told Leila I was your ex wife.”

Everyone stared at Rosie for a second. She shrugged.

“What? I was married to a police officer for 16 years and I’m the daughter of one.”

“It explained your odd reaction, Jack.” Leila explained. “So I told them I needed to come and find you.”

“We explained everything on our way here.” Thomas continued

“So you heard a gunshot, then ran into Rosie and Sidney on your way here. They know everything that has been happening, and no one knows there might be a dead body in the suite next to you?” Phryne asked. Leila and Thomas stared at each other.

“Uhm yes. Pretty much.” She confirmed.

“Right, I need you to go back to your rooms, I will check it out with Phryne.” Jack said, leaving no room for argument. “Rosie, Sidney you first. We will see you in the morning. Right now we need to act quickly.”

“Jack and I will walk with Leila and Thomas to their room and see they are safe.” Phryne continued, knowing where Jack was going with it.

* * *

“Did you bring your lockpicks?”

“Of course I did, Jack. I mean, really.” Phryne said, taking said lockpicks out of the front of her dress. She dropped on her knees and worked her magic on the door, which opened remarkably fast. Jack didn’t know if he should be impressed or appalled. The suite was exactly the same as Leila and Thomas’s. The only difference was the body of John Kelly, lying dead in the middle of the room. Jack closed the door quietly after Phryne. Together they searched the place as quickly as they could. There was only a certain amount of time they could wait before Leila and Thomas had to call it in.

Phryne was checking out the large wardrobe and bathroom as Jack looked through the rest of the room. Irene definitely had too much makeup for one woman. She even had stage makeup mixed in with it. Phryne moved over to the walk in wardrobe, it was a mess. All Irene’s clothes were jumbled up.

“Jack, come and look at this!”

Jack appeared a second later.

“What did you find?” Phryne held up one silver high heeled shoe. By the look on Jack’s face he had no idea what she meant.

“She killed Harrison.”

“All this because of a shoe?”

“Jack, look closely at this shoe. Now picture the left one. Covered in blood, sticking from Harrison’s neck.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has the All Night Ball, what else could I do than have Phryne wear that beautiful dress from the movie? Truth be told I couldn’t decide on the first golden dress or the second. I went with the second because Jack is seeing her in it 🥰
> 
> If you’re not sure what it looks like, you can find some gifs on my [Tumblr](https://tinyminy88.tumblr.com/post/613862683367866368/im-in-love-with-phryne-her-gold-dress-at-the-ball) 🤩
> 
> Jack his tuxedo is not like the one in the movie, I was not a major fan of that one. Think more ruddy gore, but a two piece suit.

“Mr and Mrs Kelly?” A voice outside the room said, making Phryne and Jack jump. 

“Are you alright? Someone called in a disturbance.”

Jack had merely seconds to push Phryne backwards into the wardrobe and close the door behind them before there were footsteps outside, followed by a scream. 

The wardrobe, luxurious as it was, was not built for two people. Phryne was pressed against him. His entire body was on hyper alert as they stood there, waiting to be discovered. Slowly the seconds ticked by, turning into a minute, one turning into two and still neither of them shifted as more people moved on the other side of the wardrobe door. 

Phryne placed the shoe she was still holding on the shelf next to her, reaching with her other hand for the shelf on the other side. The good news was, she had about a foot on either side of her body, but the bad news was she was pretty sure Jack only had a foot of space between his back and the door, and her back was against the shelf. 

“What are you doing, Phryne?” Jack whispered, his breath tickling her ear. 

“Feeling how much room we have,” she whispered. “In our wardrobe I noticed there was a hatch in the ceiling. If there is one here, maybe we can hide.” 

Jack chuckled: this woman was going to be the death of him. No one in their right mind would even think about hiding _in_ the ceiling, let alone to have noticed there was a hatch. 

“If only someone was carrying a torch, we could see,” he murmured. “Oh, wait, I am.”

“Perfect Jack!” Phryne breathed in his ear as Jack took out the torch and switched it on. Somehow, the dark had made it easier to concentrate, but with the light from the torch it was far more obvious how close they were to each other. Trying to focus his scattered thoughts, he aimed the light at the ceiling. Finding a hatch there, just as Phryne said there would be. 

“Let’s hope it’s not locked,” Phryne mumbled. “Can you give me a leg up?” Jack placed the torch on the shelf, then cupped his hands and held them out for her feet to hoist her up. She placed her hands on his shoulders, her foot on his hands and reached for the hatch. She could just reach it and breathed a sigh of relief to find it unlocked. Very slowly, she opened it up as the voices outside grew louder. 

“Whatever you are thinking of doing, I suggest you do it fast,” Jack whispered urgently. “I believe that’s the security guard from yesterday.”

“Give me a push.”

In one fluid motion, he lifted her higher. She reached for the ceiling as she placed her knee on his shoulder, and clambered up above him into the hatch. 

Jack watched as Phryne disappeared into the ceiling, relieved, even if they were discovered, that she was safe. He could hear the security guards searching the room and he was fast running out of time. If he were to be discovered, there would be no talking himself out of it. It was bad enough he had been dining with both murdered men two nights in a row, but to be found hiding in the same room, only minutes after one had been found dead, was definitely not good. 

“Come on Jack. Climb up, use the shelf as a ladder,” Phryne suggested. Switching the torch of, he put it into his mouth and began to climb. 

“I’ll check the bathroom, you’ll do the closet.”

“Jack hurry!” Phryne demanded, just as the door opened. Jack pushed himself through the opening, hurting his leg in the process. 

He could feel Phryne pressed against his back as he sat in the most uncomfortable position ever, afraid to move. The security guard opened both doors, light from the hallway pouring in. Momentarily blinding Jack whose eyes had been used to the dark. The hatch was still open, so, slowly, without making a sound Jack reached for the handle. Waiting for the perfect opportunity. 

“Hey Walter, where are you?” someone yelled from the other side of the room. Walter, the security guard, who had been seconds away from looking up, turned around. 

“Over here.”

Jack pulled the hatch closed, in one firm movement, just before Walter looked up. 

Phryne was trying really hard not to think too much about what was surrounding her. It was dirty and smelled disgusting, and she was pretty sure she could hear movement to her left. The only thing calming her down were Jack’s deep breaths. She focused on breathing in the same rhythm he did, ignoring everything that could be in there with them. When she had counted 50 breaths, Jack shifted. Ever so slightly, and very quietly, for every new breath he changed his position. When he finally stopped moving, he had somehow maneuvered his body so her back was against his chest. 

Jack had heard Phryne’s breathing, uneven and shallow, but he had not dared to say anything. When he noticed she was trying to breathe in tandem with him, he had deliberately slowed down, making his breaths deep and long, until her breathing calmed and matched his own. By the time he had shifted into a comfortable position, there was a lot of noise in the room. He reached for Phryne, finding the back of her shoulder. Realising she was sitting with her back towards him he pulled her closer, until she was sitting in between his legs. 

“Are you alright?” He whispered in her ear. 

“Yes.”

There was a lot of emotion in that one word. Jack was sceptical that she was, but decided to let it go for now. It was hardly the time for a conversation. 

* * *

“Phryne?” Jack whispered. “Phryne, wake up.”

Phryne opened her eyes to complete darkness. 

“Jack? What happened?”

“Nothing, you fell asleep. I tried not to move too much so you could sleep. I think it’s safe to get out, as it’s been a while since the security guards left.”

Getting down through the hatch proved harder than climbing up it. Jack went first, trying not to make too much noise. Phryne used the same way to come down as she did climbing up, by using Jack as a ladder. Once they entered the room again, the body of John Kelly had been removed. 

The ship was deadly quiet at this time of night as Jack and Phryne moved through the dark hallways, not stopping until they reached their own stateroom. 

“It’s a good thing the hallways were empty. We look as though we crawled through mud,” Phryne laughed, once there was light. “And we smell like that too.”

Jack checked the mirror to find she was right, his beautiful blue suit was ruined. Phryne appeared behind him, sensing what he was thinking. 

“Too bad about the suit. I was rather fond of it.” 

“Hmm.” Jack replied too tired to think. 

“I’ll take the second shower, you go first. You deserve it after letting me sleep.”

Jack was not about to argue, he was dead on his feet. He didn’t dally and was out of the shower in record time. He changed into his pajamas as Phryne was underneath the shower, and climbed into bed. 

Jack was fast asleep when Phryne emerged from the bathroom. It was the first time she had ever seen him sleep. She was struck with how handsome he looked: with his hair free from pomade, his curls were wild and untamed. She felt privileged to witness it and she highly doubted this was a side a lot of people had ever seen. She climbed in bed next to him, snuggling far closer as she would have if he were awake. She felt giddy, like a schoolgirl doing something naughty. This was absurd, she had done things that would make even Madam Lyon blush, so why did she feel like this? 

* * *

Phryne was the first to wake up, only to find her head was resting on Jack’s shoulder, her hand on his chest and their legs intertwined. Jack's arm was draped over her waist. Phryne had never felt so safe as she did now. She didn’t move a muscle when she felt him stir, closing her eyes she pretended to sleep. Other than his heart rate increasing slightly, he didn’t show any indication of wanting to move from this position. 

“You might as well say something, I can hear you thinking,” he murmured, after a while. Phryne grinned and looked up, resting her chin on his chest. His eyes were still closed, but his half smile was in place. 

“Morning, Jack.”

He opened his eyes and smiled down. A genuine smile, one that Phryne had hardly ever seen. 

“Good morning, Phryne.”

“Did you have a good night?”

Jack rolled his eyes and checked his watch. 

“Phryne we have to get up, it’s past 10 already,” he pointed out earnestly, untangling himself and getting out of bed. 

“Jack, calm down, it’s still practically the crack of dawn,” Phryne groaned, only to have Jack roll his eyes again and disappear into the bathroom. When he emerged 15 minutes later, Phryne was still in bed. 

“Do you need some encouragement, Miss Fisher?” Jack said as he walked over and gave the doona a tug. Phryne grabbed hold of it and pulled it back, making Jack grin. 

“I think you do,” he announced, as he reached underneath and grabbed her foot. 

“You wouldn’t dare!” Phryne said, her eyes sparkling. Jack shrugged, making it seem as though he was pulling his hand back, only to take hold of the doona and give it all a mighty pull, stripping the bed completely. Phryne made a grab for it, and missed. 

“Ja-ack,” She whined, pretending she hated him stripping the bed. In all honesty, she was enjoying this. Maybe even more than Jack himself. Jack was clearly having fun too:, this was a side of him she had never seen and Hell be damned if she wasn’t going to take advantage of it. 

Just when she was contemplating her next move, Jack grabbed her foot again and pulled her towards the end of the bed. 

“You said something about not daring?” He laughed as he grabbed Phryne around her waist, making her yelp with laughter and surprise. 

“Jack, put me down!” Phryne cried out. 

“What is going on?” a voice behind them said, coldly. Jack released Phryne, and whirled around, placing her behind him. Rosie and Sidney stood in the doorway looking at Jack as though he’d lost his mind. 

“We knocked, but there was no reply and then we heard screaming.” Rosie clarified. “The door was unlocked,” she added defensively. 

“Jack was just teasing,” Phryne said, taking her robe from the hook on the wall. 

“What are you doing here?” Jack questioned. 

“When you didn’t appear for breakfast we were worried.” Sidney answered. 

“We slept in, it was late when we finally made it back to the room.” She turned to Jack. “Fill them in, I’ll be right back.”

Jack did as Phryne asked, and explained the body had indeed been John Kelly, and that Mrs Kelly was missing. He explained that Irene had most likely killed Reginald Harris because of the affair: the shoe they found had been a perfect match to the one they had seen sticking from Reginald's neck. He continued his story, describing the security guards turning up.

“So we hid in the ceiling.”

“The ceiling?” Rosie repeated, baffled. 

“Yes, it has a hatch. So we waited it out.”

“How did you even know it would hold both of you?” Sidney asked, equally baffled. 

Phryne chose that moment to emerge from the bathroom, wearing her red pleated suit with a fur collar. 

“I didn’t. But it was better than letting them find us. Wasn’t it?” she replied. Jack just shook his head, she was impossible sometimes. When they reached breakfast, Jack had to explain everything a second time to Leila and Thomas, who had similar reactions to Rosie and Sidney. Phryne rolled her eyes at Jack when the others weren’t looking, Jack had to stifle a grin. Not everyone was as adventurous as she was. Himself included, chasing after her, but he had no choice. Not that he completely minded, if he was being completely honest with himself. 

* * *

Irene Kelly was still missing. Jack and Phryne tried everything they could during the day to try and find her, all proving to be for naught, as she was nowhere to be found. Phryne was not overly fond of Rosie and Sidney knowing their plans; she couldn’t deny their help but she didn’t like it nonetheless. 

Jack had just fixed his bow tie when Phryne stepped out of the bathroom. She was wearing a gold floor length ball gown that sparkled when she moved. Jack had seen her in a lot of different outfits, but this was the most beautiful he had ever seen her wear, even the ridiculous headpiece was stunning. She walked over and touched his lapels. 

“I do love a man in evening dress."

* * *

Jack offered his arm, which she gladly took. The way to the ballroom was incredibly busy, people in evening wear were standing in the hallways talking to each other. Leila and Thomas were on the dance floor, as were Sidney and Rosie. Jack led them to the side of the room, where they had a good view of everyone. Phryne was impressed by the way the dance floor was filled. Usually in ‘Toff parties’ as Bert would have called them, there was hardly any dancing at all. Just talking and business proposals over champagne. 

She glanced at Jack, looking smart in his dinner jacket. She loved him in one, the black and white was a lovely contrast to his skin. His black bow tie was the perfect thing to do, even if he had done it unknowingly. Every other man who was wearing full evening dress had opted for white bow tie, making Jack stand out by doing something different. 

Her dress was more on the daring side too, the neckline was lower than was strictly appropriate. She had chosen it especially, knowing that Jack would be her partner tonight. She hadn’t missed his reaction to it either. He had visibly swallowed, but remained silent. Well it didn’t matter, she always dressed for herself anyway. Even though she might have wanted to show off, just a tiny bit. 

When Sidney and Rosie joined them, she could clearly see the approving gaze of Sidney and a disapproving one from Rosie. Sidney was the prime example of evening dress with a white bow tie but, even though he was handsome enough, Phryne was not impressed. Rosie had a dark purple gown with a square neckline that was rather flattering for her. 

“Care for a dance, Phryne?” Sidney asked when small talk died down. 

“Lead the way,” she said, giving him her hand. He was a good dancer as he knew the steps perfectly. Sidney didn’t say much, which was fine by her. It gave her a good opportunity to take a look at everyone in the room, keeping her eye out for something suspicious. 

“So, you and Phryne?” Rosie said after a while. Breaking the awkward silence. 

“No no, just undercover.” Jack replied, lowering his voice, making sure no one had overheard him. Rosie didn’t answer straight away: judging by her face she didn’t believe him. 

“I saw you, Jack. That was not pretend.” Jack shot her a look of disbelief. Even if it was real -which it was not- why would it matter to Rosie? She had announced her engagement to Sidney merely a month after their divorce. Choosing an interrogation technique, he decided to just stay quiet. 

“Father doesn’t like her,” Rosie admitted. Jack raised his eyebrow, there it was. 

“Oh?”

“She never follows the rules, she’s reckless, she does whatever she likes and she runs around with those red raggers,” Rosie continued. “She’s trouble, Jack. I just know it.”

“I know her methods may be unconventional, and seem dangerous,” Jack agreed. “But she can follow leads I can’t. And she will do anything to protect those she loves, even if that means compromising her own safety.” He paused for a second. Making sure Rosie was listening, he wanted to make it very clear. 

“Her moral compass is just as good as yours or mine is. And even though she might flirt with illegal things, it’s a line she won’t actually cross.”

“Says who?” Rosie whispered, angrily. 

“Me.” Jack replied quietly, just as Sidney joined them again. 

“Where’s Phryne?”

“Oh, the Captain wanted to have the next dance,” Sidney admitted. Jack’s blood began to boil: Sidney had left Phryne in the hands of the one man he didn’t trust. 

“Excuse me,” he managed. 

“Jack, why do you need to run after her?” Rosie scoffed. Jack knew she meant well, and that she was only saying it to watch out for him. It stung nonetheless. 

“Because she’s my wife.” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok a little disclaimer. I thought of this fic when I was doing a rewatch of Miss Fisher. I had not seen the movie when I started this, so the ball and dancing was purely coincidental. But OW MY LORD. Did they crawl inside my head and said ok let’s do that?! Because it was utter brilliance ♥️

Phryne was regretting her dress choice. The captain clearly didn’t, since he was running his hands over her body. 

“May I cut in?” a deep voice said behind her. Relief washed over Phryne just at the sound of it. The captain nodded -reluctantly- and placed Phryne’s hand in Jack’s. 

“Just in time, Jack. I wasn’t sure how mu… What’s wrong?”

“Why would anything be wrong?”

Phryne looked up in his eyes, he was clearly upset. 

“I can tell. You’re grinding your teeth to the point they will shatter.”

Jack choked out a laugh. 

“Am I that obvious?”

“No, not at all. I doubt anyone who doesn’t know you like I do would notice it,” Phryne admitted quietly. 

Jack didn’t look away, he just stared at Phryne. There was something intimate about dancing, they way two bodies moved at the same time, to the same beat. Phryne’s hand was resting on his shoulder, his hand was on her back. The fact Phryne could tell when he was upset was trouble in itself, it meant it would be impossible to hide anything from her. 

Phryne’s heart was racing, the world seemed to stop moving. All she was focusing on was Jack. How his body was slightly too close for this dance, his hand on her back, with his thumb just inches away from the edge of her dress. Dancing with Jack was the best part of the evening. Phryne loved a man who was confident on the dancefloor, who had the ability to take control of the situation. Jack was leading her without any trouble. 

They were dancing near the edge of the dancefloor, where there were French doors opening to the deck on their left and service doors behind them. Movement caught her eye behind Jack. Red hair, which reminded her of Mac, had appeared for just a second. Long enough for Phryne to recognize Irene Kelly. 

“Jack, Irene was here.”

Jack just sighed for a second, before spinning her around to see the point Phryne had been looking at. 

“We need to talk to her,” Jack said. “She could be in danger.”

No one gave them a second glance as they slowly made their way over to the service door. There was no one in the corridor behind, as they walked through. Jack and Phryne followed it along until they reached a staircase. 

“Up or down?” Jack said looking up and down the railing. 

“Down - if she was still in First Class we would have seen her.” 

Jack agreed, they had searched everywhere they could. The only explanation was that she had been in a different class. At the bottom of the stairs there was another hallway with multiple corridors. 

“How are we going to search them all, Jack?” 

Before Jack could answer there were footsteps coming their way. He grabbed her hand and pushed her into the first room he could find, which turned out to be an empty broom cupboard.

“Miss Irene, we found him,” a large man said, who was being closely followed by a second, equally large, bloke who was dragging an unconscious Harold Smith with him. 

“Idiots, I told you not to harm him! I needed him to take me to where the poker games are being held!” She yelled. The first man looked unimpressed, while the other visibly flinched. Phryne wondered why, as Irene did not exactly look frightening. She stepped closer to have a better look through the gap, only to have Jack pull her back. He could see Irene better than she could, and his eyes were clearly worried. 

“Sorry, Miss.”

“Doesn’t matter now, tie him up and put him with Gladys. It will be a good thing for him to see her when he comes to.” She glared at the man in front of her: “To remind him not to cross me. You might end up with a bullet, like dear old Gladys.”

As soon as they disappeared, Phryne turned to Jack.

“She killed them, Jack. Her best friends.”

“I know. We have to be careful. By the way she was waving that pistol around she’s not afraid to use it.”

Phryne had a look in her eye that Jack didn’t like. 

“What?”

“We have to reach the poker game before she does, Jack,” she said, opening the door and checking if the coast was clear. 

“What good will that do?”

“We can tell them to not let her in, warn them, I don’t know. We have to do something.”

Phryne knew their relationship was at a crossroads, she could tell Jack knew it too. Either he was going to force her to do nothing and do it the official way. Or, he was coming along, the dangerous way. Phryne had no idea which way Jack was leaning, but she did know that, whatever there was going on between them, this was it. She was her own woman, she was never going to be the kind of woman who smiled and agreed with her man. 

“All right, we’ll do it your way. But you have to promise me you’ll be careful.”

Phryne smiled, feeling a lump in her throat. 

“Of course Jack. You know me.”

Jack just rolled his eyes and pulled her along to the engine room. The engine room was on the lowest deck of the ship. Reaching the lowest deck was not the problem. Reaching the correct side of it, however, was, as the deck was sectioned into compartments, and those compartments had big boilers with vast ovens above them, being constantly fed by stokers shovelling coal. There were far more people running around than Jack would have expected. Judging by the weird looks, he and Phryne were not exactly blending in. He pulled her behind the engine casings. 

“We need to blend in better. We are never going to get in, dressed like this,” he said, while taking off his jacket and bow tie and placing them underneath a staircase leading up to the coal ovens. 

Phryne knew he was right, but there wasn’t much she could do, besides leaving her headpiece. Jack immediately looked different, and Phryne had to admit he looked even better dressed down as he did dressed up. 

“Wait Jack, do you have braces on?” She said. Jack just nodded his face showing nothing but confusion. 

“Ok put them over your shirt and roll up your sleeves.” Jack did as she asked, while Phryne unapologetically stared at him as he did so. 

“If we survive this, we are having a conversation about privacy,” he mumbled, when he was done. Phryne would have been worried if he hadn’t said it with his half smile on his face. 

The entire deck was stiflingly hot because of the boilers, and the steam hung heavy in the air. When Phryne and Jack passed the control room, they knew they were finally in the right place when they saw someone walking past carrying poker chips. The compartment where the man carrying the chips had come from had a big man standing in the middle of what appeared to be a corridor between the huge boiler casings. 

“Harold Smith said you could get us in,” Phryne said, her accent pure Collingwood, as she stood before the man. 

“Do you have money?”

Phryne grinned evilly and produced her diamond earrings from her cleavage. 

“Will these do?”

“They’ll do lovely, what else have you got in there, darling?”

“Nothin’ you will live to tell a tale about, if you don’t stop looking at my missus.” Jack growled, pulling Phryne possessively against his front. 

The man gave Jack a once over before stepping aside to let them enter. The compartment was small but crowded, there were tables placed in every open spot with people gathering around them, betting on jewels, money and containers that were probably opium. 

“We need to find the boss,” Phryne said, looking around for someone who seemed to be in charge. 

“Far end of the room - on the staircase above that main poker table - the man in the blue jacket.”

Phryne turned around and ran her hand over Jack’s chest, using it as a cover to check out the man he saw. 

“Good eye, Jack. He’s definitely the ring leader. Let’s pay him a visit, shall we?”

They made their way across the room, stopping at a few tables to feign interest. Just as they reached the main poker table, Irene stepped onto the staircase leading up to the man in charge. By the look of it, she knew her way around the lowest desk, and hadn’t taken the wrong staircase, as Jack and Phryne had. 

It was dumb luck there was an open seat at the table, which Phryne took without hesitation. Jack placed himself behind her, his back facing Irene, making sure Phryne was invisible, just in case she looked down. Phryne threw her earrings on the pile of jewellery in the middle of the table. 

“Fancy winning some money, darling?” she purred at Jack. 

Taking his cue from the other men at the table who seemed to be manhandling their partners, Jack placed one hand on the table and his other on the side of her neck, squeezing slightly. 

“You’d better not lose like last time,” he snapped, while bringing his mouth to her ear to place a kiss underneath it. 

“I can just hear them talking, don’t draw too much attention so they don’t look down,” he whispered. 

Phryne involuntarily shivered as Jack did so. She knew Jack wouldn’t hurt her, he was not René. She tried and failed to calm her wildly beating heart, the possessiveness was bringing up bad memories. Jack had played his role just right, he had correctly guessed the atmosphere at the table and taken advantage of it. His hand seemed rough but was actually light. Phryne couldn’t help herself: she turned to face him, as she had to make sure it was Jack, to make sure the eyes she looked into were kind. 

Jack hadn’t expected she’d turn to face him, he hadn’t expected to see fear in her eyes and he had definitely not expected to be this close to her mouth. Too late he realised what brought on this reaction. The reason why Phryne would never let a man tell her what to do. The moment he opened his mouth to apologise, her face changed. Fear disappeared and her eyes softened. Neither of them moved for a long time. 

“You wanna play or what?” one of the men at the table said, effectively breaking the spell. 

* * *

“I think she went this way,” Jack whispered as he pulled Phryne behind an engine casing. 

“She’s looking for a diamond ring that Harold stole, she wants it back, no matter what.”

“What does it look like?” Phryne whispered back. 

“She described it as a silver band with an amethyst stone in the middle and diamonds all round it.”

Phryne nodded as they sneaked out carefully, behind the ringleader and Irene. He brought Irene to a makeshift office at the far end of an engine case corridor, it wasn’t much more than some wooden walls slapped together. 

“Jack, I need a distraction so I can steal that ring.” 

“I’ll do my best.”

Jack went back to the other side of the corridor where there had been two men sitting on the floor. Both were clearly drunk, so making them fight each other proved to be easy. When Jack passed them, he knocked over the tallest man’s drink. Jack rounded the corner just in time to be out of sight, before the one man punched the other in the face. A big fight ensued, with people soon yelling and surrounding them. 

“Alfred, quick! Help, there’s a fight!” someone yelled when he reached the ringleader and Irene. 

Irene and the ringleader followed the man to where the fight was happening. Phryne tested the wooden wall before climbing over it, finding it could bear her weight easily. There was a locked cabinet behind a desk, but Phryne worked her magic and soon the cabinet was open. There was an abundance of jewels inside: not only did she find the ring, but she also found Leila’s necklace. She hid them inside her cleavage and climbed back over the wall. 

Jack saw her jump down to the ground and disappear behind a boiler just in time, before Irene rounded the corner. Phryne reached him the next minute and together they made their way back to the staircase. They had only just taken a couple of steps when Irene screamed about her missing ring. The people surrounding them all stopped and stared at the office in wonder, only to have their attention brought back to the fighting men on the ground. Soon people were betting on who would win, it was mayhem all around with everyone shouting over each other. 

Jack grabbed Phryne’s hand, scared to lose her in the sea of people who suddenly were everywhere. The fight was a much more interesting thing to bet on, it had brought a tidal wave of poker players out of the room, all wanting to see what the fuss was about. 

Jack and Phryne wove through the crowd, only to stop in their tracks when the security guard from the day before showed up. He saw Irene, and headed straight for her. Not to arrest her, but to hand her something that was wrapped in a tissue. 

“He’s in on it,” Jack whispered outraged. 

“Worry about that later, Jack.” Phryne said. “He knows us. We have to go,” she pointed out, while giving him a push to get him to start moving again. 

The direction they were heading was different to the way they had come down. This was obviously the main exit, as the hallway was filled with people with drinks in their hands, couples who were pressed against walls and men who had passed out on the floor. The security guard only exchanged a few words with Irene before looking at the sea of people, his eyes narrowing as they skipped over everyone. 

He had less difficulty moving through the crowd and he was closing in quickly. Jack knew they were out of options and with nowhere to hide. If he saw their faces he’d know they were definitely not from Third Class, even if he had not made the connection about them investigating the murders. Seeing no other option but to hide in plain sight, Jack pushed Phryne against the wall, pressing his body firmly against hers. He put one hand next to her face the side the security guard was coming from, his other firmly on her waist. Phryne’s eyes went wide for a second before he captured her lips with his. Without missing a beat, Phryne wrapped her arms around him and kissed him fiercely. 

Jack pushed her harder against the wall, and she was impossibly aware of his entire body, which felt like steel. He pushed his thigh in between her legs and he had her body's full attention, even with the threat of real danger in the air. He tasted so damn good. He felt even better, hard against her. The desire was so fierce, so consuming, that she was shocked. 

The security guard was nearly behind Jack; he kept one part of his mind on him, but the rest of his mind was on Phryne. She opened her mouth fully, intertwining her tongue with his and he was lost. He pushed her even farther up his thigh and into the wall, not giving a damn about the people surrounding them. Not that they cared either way. When he released her mouth, both of them were panting. 

With her back still against the wall, Phryne opened her eyes as he let her slide down his leg. She looked into his fierce eyes, just as the security guard appeared. 

* * *

Jack woke up, his head pounding. He groaned as he opened his eyes to complete darkness. Fighting a wave of nausea he waited for it to pass before sitting up. His hands and feet were bound with some kind of rope, it seemed. How to get that off would be his highest priority. A sound suddenly made him freeze. 

“Hello?” he softly called out. A muffled sound came from his left, followed by what sounded like feet banging the floor. 

Jack took a deep breath, calming himself, his hands were in front of him so he could use them to fight if he had to. Breathing deeply, he recognized why he didn’t feel threatened - he realised it was the bloody French perfume. 

“Phryne?” 

Phryne made a muffled sound again at that. Relief flooded his system, if she was able to move and sound annoyed with her mouth covered she would be fine. 

“I’m going to crawl over to you. Make that noise again so I know which way to go.”

Slowly, Jack crawled to the spot he believed the sound was coming from. When he felt a high heeled foot he sighed in relief, and edged his way up her body to her face. She was bound to a stanchion with her hands behind her, and the gag over her mouth was tied around the stanchion too. He ran his hands over her face to the back of her head, feeling for any injury, coming to the conclusion that he couldn’t remove it without hurting her. Phryne was trying to make something clear to him by brushing her leg against his. He had no idea what was going on, or what she was trying to say. Jack could practically hear Phryne saying his name in a tone that indicated he was being stupid. 

“Phryne I have no idea what you are trying to say.”

Phryne sighed, annoyed. How was she going to make her point if she couldn’t speak or use her hands? She thought for a second: it would probably hurt, but it was the only way. She twisted her lower body so her upper leg was on the metal floor. Grimacing, she made a jumping movement. 

Jack had no idea what Phryne was doing, but he could feel her maneuvering her body. There was a faint noise. Like metal on metal. Phryne did that weird movement again, and so did the sound. Suddenly it clicked in his head. 

“You’ve got a dagger hidden in your garter, I imagine?” Phryne mumbled affirmatively. 

“Hold still, so I can, uhm… get it.”

Jack felt for the hem of her dress and slid his hands underneath it, then he followed her stockings up until he reached her thigh. He had never been more happy to be in darkness as he was now, for he knew his face was crimson, doing such a delicate and intimate act. He felt for her dagger and tried to get it out carefully. 

Phryne had to admit, even though the situation was dire at best, she was rather enjoying the moment. She had suspected Jack to be reluctant, but his touch was firm as he slid his hand up her leg. His arm was brushing against her upper body as he tried to get the dagger out, their positions making it more difficult. Phryne was nearly disappointed when he managed to get the knife out. She could hear him working on his own ropes, the moment he got his hands free he reached up and followed the gag in her mouth to the stanchion behind. 

“Hold still, Phryne.” He warned. 

Jack had only freed his hands, getting that rope out of her mouth was far more important. He brushed her hair out of the way, he didn’t want to accidentally shorten it. Carefully, he cut the gag away. 

“Jack, I was so worried when you didn’t wake up,” was the first thing out of her mouth. Jack was working on her hands as she continued. 

“I saw him hit you in the head, but I couldn’t help.” 

“Phryne it’s not your fault. Don’t wo..”

Phryne threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close,clearly surprising the life out of him, and herself, for that matter. She had been really worried, head wounds were notorious for being worse than they appeared, and when Jack didn’t wake up for a very long time, she had feared the worst. 

“Good thing I always conceal a lot underneath my skirts,” she said, as soon as he released her hands with the dagger, trying to sound casual. 

She wasn’t fooling him with her tone, she had been genuinely worried and tried to brush it off. Jack smiled softly and decided to just play along, there were more important things at the moment. 

“Good thing they were dumb enough to underestimate you,” he said as he got his own feet free and went to work on hers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I shamelessly copied Jack’s look from the movie. His Sahara look was hot AF!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Life has been ridiculous at the moment so I wanted to do a short update. Just so you know I’m still working on it, and have not abandoned ship (excuse the pun).
> 
> Also great news, I found myself a beta! 
> 
> THANK YOU KATE!!!
> 
> So from now on there should be waaaaaay less spelling errors or weird grammar 😁

Time seemed to creep by as Phryne and Jack sat on the floor, waiting for someone to come and see them. It was stiflingly hot in their makeshift prison, and Phryne was glad she was wearing a dress she could pull up to her thighs to have some relief. She had no idea how much time had passed since they had been locked in, but, judging by her eyes becoming heavy, it was the middle of the night. Her lips still tingled from the kiss Jack had given her: if it had worked, it would have been a brilliant plan, but unfortunately it hadn’t. Not that Phryne really minded, she hated that they were locked in, but the kiss was definitely one of the best things all evening. 

Jack was very aware of Phryne sitting next to him, and even though he could not see her, he had felt her pulling her dress up her legs. The dark was a blessing and a curse all at the same time. Both of them were leaning against the wall, which had offered a temporary relief when the wall was still cold. That had long since passed, and now, even at night, it was just as warm as everywhere else. Neither of them were talking anymore, but it was not an uncomfortable silence. Jack had wanted several times to bring up the kiss, but had backed out each time. It was a conversation, so probably best held when they could see each other. 

Phryne had confirmed it was the security guard that had knocked him out, but it wasn’t because they were on to them about the thefts, it was actually about the murders. Irene had seen them sneak into her room the night she killed John. She had no idea Phryne had stolen the ring or the necklace, and the security guard had only searched Jack when he was unconscious. Jack didn’t understand how everyone kept underestimating Phryne, maybe it was because she was a woman and most women did not go around concealing jewellery or dangerous weapons underneath their skirts. 

He could feel Phryne fall asleep as time went on and really tried to rest, but his mind wouldn’t quieten down. It kept going back to how Phryne had felt in his arms, the feel of her lips on his, how she had moved with him as she kissed him back. The fact they were locked in hadn’t left his mind either, but it had taken a back seat. Which he knew was stupid, he should be trying to figure out a way to get out of there… and not think about all the things he wanted to do to Phryne. And, God, the urge to do something, anything, was only getting stronger. 

A key being turned in a lock woke them both up - Jack was instantly alert and on his feet, only a little surprised he had managed to fall asleep after all. He reached for Phryne the same time she reached for him.  
“Quick, back to the pole, maybe we can surprise them” Jack whispered as he pulled her along to it, relieved they had not retreated to the other side of the room, but rather stayed close to the pole. In the nick of time, Jack lay down on the ground in front of her, pretending to be unconscious. He was in a different spot from where he had woken up, but he hoped the security guard wouldn’t notice. 

The door opened, and a faint light shone on Phryne, who was blinking her eyes while still managing a death glare. Luck stayed on their side as a different man walked in alone. He came over and gave Jack a nudge with his foot, not noticing that neither of them were bound anymore. As he stepped over him, Jack made his move. He reached up and elbowed him in the groin as Phryne sprang up and tackled him to the ground. There was a struggle in which Jack received a few punches, but managed to get him in a choke hold and hold on for long enough until he passed out. 

Using pieces of rope, they managed to bind him to the pole and, for good measure, they gagged him so he couldn’t cry for help. Jack did a quick body search and found the man was carrying a pistol in the waistband of his trousers, a concealed knife on his shin and a torch in his pocket. Jack pocketed everything before leaving. Together they left the room they had been imprisoned in, waiting in the doorway to let their eyes adjust to the faint light. He glanced at Phryne, relieved beyond anything she wasn’t hurt, or at least didn’t appear to be. The ship was still deathly quiet as they crept through. Jack checked his watch and saw it was only 4:30 in the morning. 

Once they figured out the best way to go, Phryne rounded the corner to the stairwell first and bumped head first into the security guard. It was only Jack`s lightning fast movement that freed the guard’s hold on her, as Jack grabbed Phryne around her waist with one hand and pulled her backwards before punching the security guard on the jaw with the other. After that, he gave him a push to send him tumbling down the lower part of the stairwell. Even with the adrenaline pumping in her veins, Phryne didn’t miss how elegant Jack was in his fighting. But before she could dwell on it too much, he took her hand and pulled her up the stairs. Soon, yelling sounded in the stairwell as they fled upwards, the big guys who had dragged Harold Smith along showed up behind them, both carrying guns. 

Jack was clutching his side as he ran up the stairs with Phryne, who was panting as well. He was getting dizzy from the winding stairs, but he knew they had to keep going, there was no time to catch their breaths. There had already been three murders, maybe even four, since Jack had no idea what happened to Harold Smith. There was no denying if they were to be caught, they would end up dead too. 

Once again this was a different stairwell and they ended up near the bow of the ship, on the topmost deck, just next to the wheelhouse. The weather was mad too, it seemed: rain was falling out of the skies in buckets, with a howling wind interrupted by lightning forks illuminating the sky to a vibrant blue. Phryne had no idea how they ended up here: all the staff stairwells had a maze-like design. The only way was forward, so that’s what they did. They ran over the deck, past where the lifeboats were stored, hardly visible in the thick curtain of rain.

Soon they were soaked to the skin, dodging upturned lounge chairs that were being blown around the deck by the wind. The security guard appeared and drew his gun. Acting on instinct, Phryne ducked out of the way as Jack did the same, but to the other side. The guards had not dared to shoot inside the ship, but had no qualms about doing it outside. Phryne had never thought of dying on a cruise ship - after all she had been through, this seemed like the last place it would happen. 

Jack leaped up again, running across to where Phryne had fallen. He grabbed her hand and pulled her upwards, dragging her along to the other side of the deck, dodging bullets as they went. As soon as the wheelhouse momentarily hid them from their attackers, Jack took out the pistol and fired. The adrenaline was making him hyper-aware and with one shot he killed one of their pursuers. He looked around frantically: there was no way to go. They were outnumbered and driven into a corner, literally and figuratively. There was nothing behind them but a railing and the deep blue sea. The moment he looked round was all it took: one of the remaining guards aimed and shot Jack. 

It seemed like it all happened in slow motion to Phryne - Jack pulling her behind him, stopping to shoot one of them and in turn being hit by a bullet himself.  
“Jack! NO!” she bellowed as she saw him stumble, clutching his arm. He had a manic look in his eyes that Phryne didn’t like. She had never seen him so angry, and had no idea what would happen next.  
“Do you trust me?” he yelled over the howling wind.  
“Of course I do, Jack.”  
Jack reached for her and pulled her body to him. Phryne barely had time to register what he was doing before he crashed his lips on hers. The kiss was fierce and passionate and way too short. He gave her a small smile.  
“Just in case we don't make it” he confessed, before grabbing her hand and jumping overboard.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guuuuuys, 
> 
> Ok a new chapter. I used Titanic as inspiration for the ship, I know it sank in 1912 and this fic is in 1929, so bare with me if things are not that accurate. 
> 
> I did a ton of research on it, I think I’m an expert on the titanic layout by now, lmao.
> 
> I had super much fun with this chapter, apologies for the delay. I know I ended the last one on a cliffhanger 😂 
> 
> Once again, a huge thanks to my beta Kate! She gave me a few pointers on how to write and as a Belgian they really helped ♥️

Phryne never doubted that she was the reckless one, who jumped in without question. Jack was more cautious, and had more of a ‘wait and see’ kind of approach. Today, however, it was Jack who jumped. Quite literally, too! When she confirmed that ‘of course’ she trusted him, she had never expected Jack to grab her hand and actually jump. She knew it was a long way down, and even if they survived the fall, the sea would be very cold despite the weather being unseasonably warm for autumn. All of this crossed her mind as she leapt into the unknown, Jack’s hand pulling her down with him. 

She expected a weightless drop, a painful impact, coldness. She got all three, but it was a very short drop, the impact only twisting her ankle a little bit and, as for the coldness... The place they landed in was exposed to the elements. The rain was hitting them from all sides, and, with the wind, causing her gold sequinned dress to cling close to her body, but it was not the cold she was expecting.

Jack knew it would be dangerous jumping overboard as there would be a real possibility they’d miss, and would end up in the ocean. He was amazed at the blind faith Phryne had in him, he noticed how her eyes had widened when she realised at the last possible moment what his plan of action was. And she still jumped, never releasing his hand while doing so. There was no time for further explanation: he lifted a loose section of tarpaulin beside him and pulled her underneath it.  
“Don’t move - stay very still, Phryne,” he whispered. 

Jack had studied the layout of the ship in case of emergencies, so he knew where the lifeboats were and how to get there. He also knew there was an emergency lifeboat hanging from a davit system for quick launching. When he returned from the War, a man had fallen overboard from the troopship. Not knowing whether it was an accident or not, the crew immediately ran to the boats to try and save him. The emergency lifeboat was lowered, with a lifeguard, and the man was successfully retrieved from the water. The davit system on this ship was similar, it had been a bigger drop than he anticipated, but they had made it nonetheless. The tarpaulin rain cover had been loose on one side, making crawling under it much easier. Jack prayed their pursuers would think they had actually jumped into the water and not towards the lifeboat. It was equally crazy, of course, if you thought about it. 

Phryne could faintly hear yelling above her, but she couldn’t make out what was being said. Of all the crazy things they did, this had to be at the top of the list, and it hadn’t even been her idea. She was being pressed against Jack, more or less on top of him, in a very uncomfortable position, with the seat boards that fitted across the boat’s midsection pressed against her side. Jack's breathing was haggard and he had to be even more uncomfortable. Phryne didn’t know where the bullet had hit him and she was concerned he was bleeding out. She tried to make out his face in the dark, squinting so she could see the outlines of it.  
“I’m fine Phryne, it only grazed me,” he whispered just as she was about to say something. 

Phryne counted the seconds as the storm raged on outside their little hiding place. When she had reached 60, for the 25th time, Jack stirred.  
“I think they're gone, so now we have to get out of here and back onto the ship. Can you see if the coast is clear?”  
Phryne clambered upright, carefully peeked out from under the cover, and saw no one. They probably thought they had drowned in the ocean, which they most likely would have if they had actually ended up in the water. 

“They’ve gone,” Phryne said, turning back to Jack. Jack was studying the falls that were connected to the davit, falls were the ropes that lowered the boat into the water. Even in the pale moonlight she could see that Jack’s entire sleeve was dark red with blood, his wound was definitely more than a graze.  
“Jack, your arm!” Phryne hissed “We need to bandage that up, right now.” Without waiting for Jack to answer, she lifted her skirt, retrieved her dagger and without a second thought started cutting a piece of cloth from her underskirt. 

Seeing her face, Jack remained silent, thinking it best not to contradict her and took stock of their surroundings. There was nothing much they could use in the boat except a long rope. It would be ideal for what he had in mind to get back on the ship. As Phryne gently removed the pieces of shirt from his wound, he couldn’t help but hiss as the cold air hit the exposed flesh. Phryne gave him a look that said ‘I told you so’ and started wrapping the makeshift bandage around his arm.  
“This is the best I can do for now, I need to clean and stitch it up on the ship,” she growled, her voice clearly upset. 

“Thank you, Phryne,” Jack said, giving her a weak smile, as he took one end of the rope and tied it around his waist. “Grab the other end of the rope and tie it around your waist too, I’m going to climb on the davit,” he said, while pointing at the wooden contraption that held the falls. “And slide over it back onto the ship.”  
Phryne just blinked for one second.  
“No, absolutely not, you’ll get yourself killed!” she nearly yelled.  
“There is no other way, and I’m not letting you go first. End of discussion. I don't care how independent you are, nor how you won't dance to anyone`s tune. Right now, I’m going first!”  
This had to be the first time Jack had ever effectively made Phryne stop talking: her look was a mixture of things he didn’t want to study too closely right now. He got up and started carefully climbing the rope as he would have done as a boy. 

Phryne’s heart was racing: watching Jack climb on the davit was giving her palpitations. Even with his injured arm - which seemed to hurt a lot, judging by the set of his jaw - he was climbing over it as though he did this sort of thing every day. Inch by inch he then lowered himself over the davit towards the deck below him. She nearly cried with relief when he reached it, even though he had made it seem so simple.  
“Come on Phryne, your turn,” he said, as he took the rope from his waist and tied it around the railing. Phryne was not afraid of heights, or even of falling, and she knew the rope would save her. It was more the idea of doing a dangerous stunt, on a ship that was sailing God knows how many nautical miles per hour, in a thunderstorm in the middle of the night. 

She gave herself a scolding _Dammit Phryne, you are Phryne Fisher, you can do anything!_ then, without a second glance she took a hold of the falls and started climbing. By the time she reached the top of the davit, she was cold to the core, her sodden dress had no protection from the wind and rain and was flapping and fluttering around her. Looking only at what she was doing, she started sliding down the davit towards the ship. She was only a few feet out when her dress got caught on something she hadn’t noticed while sliding down. It had become tangled up and the hem was now stuck somewhere around her elbow. The wind had twisted it around the ropes and she couldn’t move forward or backwards at all. 

Jack's heart nearly stopped as he saw what was happening _No, No this can't be happening_ he frantically thought.  
“Jack I’m stuck!” Phryne yelled over the howling wind. She was so close he could almost reach her.  
“Can you pull it free?” he yelled back  
Phryne did some pulling and only made a little headway. She looked down and Jack saw fear in her eyes for the first time ever. He had to do something! Taking the rope from the railing he unleashed it and tied it again, making it taut between Phryne and the ship. An overturned lounge chair was directly behind him, so he dragged it to the railing while tying the other end of the rope back around his waist.  
“Phryne, let go. I'll catch you,” he said, while standing on the chair, where her foot was now only a couple of inches from his hands. 

The look she gave him was one of utter disbelief and trust at the same time.  
“I'll kill you if you let me die, Jack!” Jack gave her a small smile as she eased one hand from the davit and took hold of her dress. She took a deep breath, pulled her skirt loose and let go. She only had a moment of weightlessness, when two arms grabbed her firmly around her waist and yanked her backwards. Jack had used so much force, the two of them tumbled backwards onto the deck. Neither of them said something for a couple of breaths.

“Let's never do that again,” Jack begged. Phryne nodded, her eyes still closed, she seemed not to even notice the rain that was still coming down hard. Her hair was plastered on her face, her makeup smudged, her lips were blue as shivers ran over her body.  
“Are you alright?” Jack continued when she didn’t reply, so she opened her eyes and gave him a smile.  
“I’m always alright, Jack.” Jack stood up and pulled her to her feet, seriously doubting her words, but letting it go for the moment. “Where are we going to hide? We can't go to our room.”  
Both of them fell silent for a moment, thinking hard.  
“How about the Harris suite?” Phryne suggested. Jack shook his head.  
“There will be too much security…. Maybe… Harold Smith’s room?”  
Phryne was stunned for a second, before her face broke into a grin.  
“Excellent idea, do you know where it is?”  
“Yes, I looked it up in case he didn’t appear last night. Not that we needed to have bothered.” He checked his watch. “It’s nearly 6, we have to hurry.”

Getting back inside was like getting stabbed by a thousand needles: the ship was incredibly warm inside and moving was proving to be difficult for their frozen limbs and soaked clothes. Jack suspected both of them were near hypothermia, so they needed to get out of their clothes as fast as possible. Harold Smith’s room was below their deck, and together they slowly made their way down to it, staying out of sight and hiding whenever they could. There were signs of life everywhere, as the staff was slowly waking up to get everything ready for the new day, but they found Harold’s room without any trouble. 

Jack held out his arm before Phryne could even reach the door and pointed to the door, it was slightly ajar. If you weren’t looking closely it wouldn’t even be visible. Jack took his pistol out of his waistband and nodded to Phryne, who pushed the door open slowly. The room was an utter mess, as clearly someone had ransacked it - probably looking for the ring. Because Harold was the handyman he had his own room, although it held nothing more than a bed, chair and sink, but it was private, and that was what mattered at the moment. 

Jack closed the door and locked it. Not trusting the lock, he placed the chair underneath the door handle so even if someone had a key it would be impossible to enter. His arm hurt like hell, and he was cold to the bone, but it was nothing to how Phryne looked. While Jack was in the early stages of hypothermia, Phryne had gone beyond the early stage. Her lips were blue and she was shivering violently. Without wasting time he crossed the small room and turned her around to start loosening her corset-like top. 

Only now did he realise why Phryne was so much more colder than he was: her dress was completely soaked and seemed to weigh a ton. It had multiple layers and every layer was heavier than the one underneath it. He took out his knife, and in one move sliced through the outer fabric.  
“Jack that w… was an ex… expensive dr… dress.” Phryne managed, how she was even able to even form words was beyond Jack, her teeth were chattering so hard he was having difficulties understanding her. “A dress is not more important than you are, Phryne.”

Phryne was so cold she couldn’t stop shivering and her entire body ached. If she hadn’t been this cold, she would have found Jack cutting away her dress immensely arousing. She still did, of course, but the cold was taking over her mind and body. When she was in her smalls, he seemed to falter a little, looking up into his face she could see the worry in his features. She must look really bad if she was standing like this before him and all he could do was worry. He didn’t slice through her smalls, but carefully removed them, leaving her in her camiknickers. He ran to the bed, grabbed the doona and returned with it, placing it around her shoulders. 

She tugged the doona closer as Jack now began to take his clothes off, he carefully removed his shirt, leaving the makeshift bandages on, and kept stripping until he was only in his drawers. He stepped closer, slid his arms underneath the doona and engulfed her body in his. Phryne snuggled her body closer to his, despite all they had been through, he felt so warm. She pressed her face into the hollow of his shoulder, making him flinch. “Sor… sorry Ja… Jack,” she whispered. Jack rolled his eyes and pulled her closer. “Don't be remorseful, you know it only confuses me.”  
Phryne managed a tiny laugh. She knew shared body warmth was the best way to get warmed up, or a shower, but that seemed out of question, since there was none in the cabin. Jack was rubbing his hands up and down her arms, the friction getting the blood flowing again. 

It took some time, but eventually Phryne stopped shivering, she was still icily cold but in control again. “Jack, I need to stitch your arm. Is there anything here?”  
“Don’t worry about it.”  
Phryne smacked his chest. “It can get infected, find me something, so we can go to sleep. I’m about to fall over.” She did sway, dangerously, so Jack reluctantly stepped back and looked around the sink for some supplies. There was no needle or thread but he did find bandages, also no antiseptic but he did find a bottle of vodka. When he returned with the supplies, Phryne was sitting on the bed, cocooned in the thick feather doona.

“This will sting,” Phryne warned, as she began cleaning the wound. The bullet had gone through his arm, which was why there was so much blood on his shirt. The small hiss he breathed out was the only sound he made as Phryne cleaned it. It could have been a lot worse, so Phryne did what she could and wrapped the clean bandages around it. 

Jack was looking at Phryne intently, he had never seen her so pale, she was shivering again and her lips were still blue. He took the bottle of vodka, uncapped it again and took a swig and then offered it to her. Seeing how difficult it was for her to even hold the bottle, he got up and went to the sink. There had been a glass left there,so he tipped the contents in the sink, rinsed the glass, returned with it and filled it 1/3. “I know I’m not Dr. McMillan but drink up.”

Phryne managed a small grin as she downed the alcohol. The vodka burned down her throat and seemed to warm her from inside.  
“I’m still so cold, Jack.”  
Jack nodded “I know, so am I.”  
He pulled her down onto the really small bunk-like bed. Pulling her on top of him, since there was hardly any room to lie side by side, he intertwined his legs with hers as he tucked the blankets around them and pulled the doona over the top. She snuggled down so her head could rest on his shoulder, her lips on his neck. She sighed as he placed his arms around her, trying to give her as much body heat as possible. Phryne fell asleep after Jack had barely taken five breaths, but she still felt cold to the touch, Jack only hoped she would warm up soon. Hypothermia was dangerous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw some comments about Titanic, For the record, IF I was going to sink the ship I would never make Jack not join Phryne on a door! That was the only flaw in that movie.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> First of, I want to say thank you to everyone who’s been following this story. I didn’t expect people to do so and it amazes me ♥️
> 
> The comments give me literal life! Receiving an email that says someone’s has commented brings a smile to my face like nothing else. 
> 
> Next thing is, I’ve changed the rating to mature! You know what that means? Some fun is coming your way! 
> 
> I originally was gonna do two versions of this, -18 and +18 but I decided against it. We all know this was coming right? Pardon the pun 😂
> 
> Once again, thank you Kate for being my beta and fixing stupid spelling mistakes! ♥️♥️♥️

Someone at the door, trying to get inside, woke both Jack and Phryne. They looked at each other, hardly daring to breathe or move in fear of making a noise. After a couple of minutes the banging stopped and the person outside moved away. 

Phryne released the tension she was feeling and relaxed back into Jack, her head on his chest.  
“How do you feel?” he murmured against her hair, wrapping his arms around her once more.  
“Much better, even in this tiny bunk I don't think I’ve ever slept so well.” She could feel Jack chuckling, making her body shake. She looked up into his eyes, which were looking down at her, a million things unsaid in his gaze. 

She had always been attracted to him, but had never crossed the line. Well,occasionally she put a toe over it, of course, but never too far and never without cause. Whenever she did, it was because Jack had made an attempt too, even if it was minuscule, like just brushing her arm, or giving her a look that lingered too long to be strictly polite. 

The last few days, both of them had crossed the line multiple times: pretending to be a couple without touching was impossible, after all. What she hadn’t expected was how easy it would feel. She always thought she would feel trapped, or suffocated, by a partner trying to keep her inside a golden cage to keep her safe, or whatever reason men had invented for doing it to women for thousands of years. 

But Jack knew her, and he had never tried to clip her wings. He was more like the air underneath her wings, helping her to soar higher than ever before. The way he looked at her should scare her, making her want to run as far as she could. But… it did not, instead it made her feel safe. She knew, however, even if she would hurt if he didn’t, he had to make the first move. It had to be what Jack wanted, and not solely because she wanted him. 

She knew without a shadow of a doubt if she made a move now, Jack wouldn’t turn her down and it would probably be amazing, but Jack was more to her than someone she'd take to bed for one gaudy night. So she held back from making the first move and waited for him. 

Jack was still grinning about the tiny bed comment, it was true for him too. When he finally fell into an exhausted sleep, he would never have believed he could sleep so soundly. Checking his watch, it was past 2pm in the afternoon - they had slept uninterruptedly for 7 hours in a bunk-type bed that would be small for one adult, never mind two. Phryne had frightened the life out of him last night: he’d had all sorts of horrible thoughts before he fell asleep, each scenario worse than the one before. 

When Phryne had asked for help on this case - ‘asked’ might be an exaggeration, ‘demanded' was a better word - he knew it would be a challenge. He had long since accepted he had feelings for her. He wasn’t lying during dinner; he had realised the depth of his feelings when he thought she had died. That morning, before he realised he wasn’t staring at her dead body, his world had come crashing down. All the things he had so carefully ignored became startlingly clear all of a sudden. Trying to make sense of his feelings, he pushed her away. 

Being Phryne Fisher she, of course, hadn’t been able to resist helping him, despite that, by reminding him they worked best together. So he worked through his feelings, and he knew she knew. It was, again, a curse and a blessing. He loved working with her, even if her methods were absolutely extraordinary sometimes, because they made a first rate team. City South had the highest conviction rate in Melbourne because of them. 

In the last few days, though, something had changed. He thought it would be next to impossible to remain casual with her - which had been the case of course - but it hadn’t backfired, as he feared it would. He feared it would change their dynamic and undo whatever progress they had made over the last few months. 

It had actually had the opposite effect. When he had kissed her the first time, half a year ago, it had been to distract her. At the time he could justify to himself why he did what he did, later in the privacy of his own home he could -maybe just a little- admit to himself there could have been other ways, but that kiss was what he had wanted. 

Now, however, he had kissed her several more times, each kiss ramping up the latent passion between them. He could clearly remember each movement Phryne had made as he pressed her against the wall. How she had looked last night, in nothing but her silk camiknickers. But, most of all, how she had looked at _him_.

He had seen Phryne look like that at other men before, but never at him. A part of him knew that if he was this affected by the last few days, she must be as well. The same part also knew that the next move had to come from him. Phryne wasn’t shy about taking the initiative, so if she was feeling the same things as he - and he was pretty sure she was - she was waiting for him. 

“Maybe it's the company?” he questioned.  
Phryne arched one perfect eyebrow at this.  
“I've been sleeping by myself for years, Jack,” she joked; even if her face was serious, her tone was making it perfectly clear she was not. “I hardly think that's it.”  
Jack rolled his eyes at her before she’d even finished speaking.  
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” he replied, while poking her in the waist, emphasising each word. Phryne couldn’t help herself and grinned, letting go of her serious face.  
“I had quite a shock last night Jack, I think you have to be clearer,” she said, while spreading her fingers over his chest, loving the feel of his body heat underneath them. 

Jack hesitated for a second, he could defuse the situation and make a wry comment, or he could take the chance. If clarity is what she wanted, he would give it to her.  
“Maybe it's me making you sleep better.” He had meant it as a statement, and yet it was more a question as anything else. Phryne smiled up at him, and he knew he had made the right choice by jumping into the unknown.  
“I’m not a betting man, but I feel pretty confident,” he continued, feeling assured by the look in her eyes. 

“And what would a confident man do about it?”

It was Jack's turn to arch his eyebrow.

“There are all sorts of things I could do,” he whispered, suddenly very aware that she was lying almost fully on top of him. She was incredibly close already, absentmindedly drawing patterns on his chest with her finger. She opened her mouth - to make a witty comment no doubt - but Jack dipped his head before she could speak and captured her lips with his. It was as though a firework exploded between them, making their every touch electric. 

Phryne had been praying to whichever God was listening that Jack would make a move, thank heavens he did. She came willingly when he pulled her closer, wrapping her legs around, her hands roaming over his body. His approving growl was only fuelling the fire inside her. Phryne already knew he was a good kisser from previous experience, but she never realised how much he was holding back until this moment. He bit her lip as she pulled away to breathe, his hands on her hips held her securely in place. 

Jack could barely believe what was happening: he was finally kissing Phryne, not under cover and as part of an investigation, but because they both wanted to. He ran his hands over her back and down again, while placing kisses down her neck to her collarbone. He lowered the silk shoulder strap of her camiknickers and hesitated before continuing, searching her face for approval. 

“May I…?”

Phryne didn’t like it when men hesitated, as she wanted her men to be confident, strong and absolutely wild about her. She knew Jack was all of those, which was precisely why she didn’t mind Jack’s hesitation, it wasn’t because he didn’t want her. She could clearly feel he most definitely did want her, but he hesitated because he needed to be sure this was what they both wanted. Because there would be no going back from this.  
“Don’t stop, Jack,” she purred, offering her neck for another kiss. Whatever doubt Jack might have had was gone now; he kissed her neck as he lowered the other shoulder strap. His hands were sure and gentle as he caressed her skin, touching her _everywhere_. 

Phryne was a goddess, moaning as he worshipped her body with his hands. His hands were not enough, he needed to taste her skin, feel his lips on her body. He flipped them over, so Phryne was underneath him.  
“You’re so beautiful, Phryne,” he whispered in her ear, as he kissed his way down her body, making sure he kissed her everywhere except where she wanted him the most.  
“God, Jack, who knew you were such a tease,” she whispered, in mock annoyance. Jack grinned and made his way further down her body, pulling her camiknickers away as he went. Not one to let him do all the work, Phryne soon made sure that Jack’s drawers had disappeared too. 

Phryne had fantasised about Jack quite a lot. Having seen him in his bathing costume she had some idea, but her ideas, however, had vastly underestimated him, both physically and mentally. Jack was slowly driving her crazy, touching and kissing her everywhere except where she wanted, no _needed_ him.  
“Usually I’m all for foreplay, but hurry up and take me,” she panted.

Jack grinned at her request, as he knew he was driving her up the wall.  
“Patience is a virtue you know…” he murmured, just as he kissed her nipple and simultaneously inserted his finger. Her body nearly came undone as he did so. The low moan that escaped her lips was all Jack needed to keep up his assault. 

His teasing had set her body on fire, and with his mouth and fingers finally where she desperately needed them, bliss consumed her. She lost track of time and motion, only focusing on the feeling of Jack and what he was doing. When she finally came back to earth, Jack was watching her in awe. 

Jack always knew Phryne was beautiful, but seeing her in ecstasy and knowing he was the one who had made her look like that was simply breathtaking. Not even in his wildest dreams would he have been able to picture her like this. Nothing had even come close to how gorgeous she looked right now. Phryne pulled him up so she could kiss him again, wrapping her legs back round him as she did so. He stifled a groan, feeling her heat all around him. 

As she tilted her pelvis, Jack struggled to control himself and not grind against her.  
“You said something about patience?” 

Jack barked out a laugh at her comment, pulling her even closer. It would only take one thrust of his hips to enter her.  
“I’m glad yours is greater than mine,” Phryne continued, crossing her ankles on his back, thereby pulling him a little way inside her.  
“My patience is 10 times greater than yours, Phryne,” Jack laughed, waiting to emphasise his words.  
“Oh really? Wait un…” She never had the chance to finish her sentence as Jack pushed forward, embedding himself fully. 

Phryne tried to catch her breath as Jack leaned his forehead against hers, enjoying the fullness of him. His eyes were closed and his breathing was just as rapid as hers, but just as he moved and made her see stars again a thought slammed into her mind.  
“Jack, stop!” Even in the middle of a thrust, he did. “I don’t have my internal device!” She spoke quickly before Jack could get the ridiculous idea that this wasn’t what she wanted. His face showed confusion before he realised what she meant. 

Family planning had never been an issue for Jack before, he had tried to have a child with Rosie in the beginning, to no avail. Sometimes it just didn’t work, the doctor had said, so he never had to think about it after that. That was until now. Being a modern woman, Phryne, of course, did think about it. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted children, and it was one of the first things they had discussed as their friendship grew. So it shouldn’t be a surprise to Jack, that Phryne had ways to make sure it wasn’t an issue. He had always assumed her lovers used French letters, but he should have guessed she had her own way. 

He silently cursed as he withdrew from her: judging by her face she was hating it just as much as he was.  
“Sorry, Jack,” she whispered, hiding her face in his neck.  
Jack cupped her chin and raised her head so he could look in her eyes.  
“What did I say about apologising?” His tone was light, and even if he was hating this, he understood.  
“I know, I know.” Phryne sighed in frustration, making it very clear she was cross with herself for forgetting. 

“This was not how I pictured it would be.” Jack sighed, equally frustrated.  
“Nor did I, Jack, I was hoping for multiple orgasms.”  
“No pressure, then,” Jack joked, pressing a kiss to her temple.  
“You were well on your way, I have no…” she stopped and took a moment to think. There was no reason Jack should have to suffer like this - judging by what was still an impressive erection pressed against her belly, he was in need of a cold shower… or a helping hand... Well, figuratively speaking, since she wasn’t planning on using just her hand. 

Jack was looking down at her, clearly suspicious of her abrupt silence. She smiled seductively and the suspicion turned more profound.  
“What?” he asked. Phryne didn’t reply and just rolled them over again in their tiny bunk, placing herself between his knees. She started kissing his chest and slowly made her way down his body.  
“I think I need to cool down, not get more worked up, Phryne,” he murmured, but made no attempt to stop her. 

She was about to make him see stars; when she reached her destination his eyes flew open in shock. Phryne had guessed correctly that he had no idea where she had been going with this.  
“Phryne!” Jack warned, shock clearly in his voice.  
“Shut up Jack, just enjoy it.”  
“But…”  
Phryne didn’t wait for him to finish and resumed what she was doing. Whatever objection Jack had soon disappeared. 

Jack had no idea a mouth could feel like this: he was not shy in his sexual endeavours by any means, yet he had never fully explored what was possible. Next to Phryne he was inexperienced, of course, or maybe she was too experienced. His next thought flew straight out of his mind as Phryne did something with her tongue, so he was soon seeing stars and focusing on enjoying the incredible feeling as long as he could. 

Even with his warning, Phryne didn’t pull away, but resumed her pace. She didn’t stop until he had stopped shaking and only then did she crawl back up his body to look at his face. As soon as she was level, Jack kissed her. Phryne smiled against his lips. Jack had just passed another secret test: if her partner refused to kiss her after he finished in her mouth, he was unworthy of it in the first place.  
“Christ, Phryne, I don't even have words anymore.”  
Phryne smiled and nestled back onto his chest. 

Once their breathing had evened out and they were back to reality, Jack knew they had a difficult choice to make.  
“What are we going to do?” Phryne asked, echoing Jack’s thoughts.  
“Find Leila or Rosie and have her bring you some clothes, first of all.” Jack mused. “It would also be a good idea to see if the crew is on the murders and/or the poker game.”  
Phryne nodded, agreeing with everything Jack had said.  
“And maybe some food, I’m absolutely famished.”

Phryne watched as Jack found his drawers and started to get dressed. Fortunately, Harold Smith’s clothes were a decent match for him. He was roughly the same size as Jack, if not as tall. So Jack kept his own dress trousers, but took a shirt and jacket out of Harold’s cupboard. He walked over to the bed as he tucked the pistol behind the waistband of his trousers.  
“I'll be back as soon as I can. Don’t do anything dangerous while I’m gone.”  
Phryne arched her eyebrow.  
“I can’t even go anywhere, how do you expect me to do anything dangerous?”

Jack smiled and shook his head. “Be careful.”  
He hesitated a moment, before kissing her lips gently. The kiss was chaste, but wonderful nonetheless. Jack was still amazed at how natural it felt to bend over and kiss her. 

After Jack left, Phryne decided to snoop in Harold's closet too, as she had only her camiknickers as clothing. She found Harold’s smallest shirt and put it on, adding a belt around her waist. Trousers were a problem she was unable to fix, so she decided to forego them altogether. 

She really needed the lavatory, so her outfit would just have to do. She vaguely remembered passing the Ladies’ conveniences on their way to Harold’s cabin this morning, and, tracing her steps back, she found them. On her way to and from the lavatory, she saw no one, which was strange, since it was 4 in the afternoon. 

When she got back to Harold’s cabin, a woman was standing in the middle of it. She turned as she heard Phryne enter behind her.  
“Where is Harold?” she asked.  
“Who wants to know?” Phryne carefully questioned.  
“His fiancée”


End file.
